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FIRED UP or BURNED OUT

“I was fortunate to have worked for 23 years at one of the most successfulfinancial services firms in the world. The concepts in Fired Up or BurnedOut reminded me of many of the reasons I think the firm was so consis-tently successful and why we enjoyed working there. In particular, thepride people felt at being part of the organization gave meaning to theirwork. In addition, because people always treated each other with respectthere was a strong emotional commitment. This is a valuable book withvery enduring ideas that have proven to be important to success.”

—Joseph R. Zimmel, Former Partner and Managing Director Goldman, Sachs & Co.

“An enthralling and impressive work. I am completely convinced thatthe basic precepts in this book will stand the test of time for many cen-turies to come, indeed, probably forever. It shows how to empowerpeople and create great societies, corporations, and cultures. I’m givingit to everyone at my own firm.”

—Russell Reynolds Jr., Founder and Former CEO,Russell Reynolds Associates, and Chairman, RSR Partners

“Reading this book is like having a great conversation; new and interest-ing people join in along the way, adding their own personal and variedinsights and encouraging an increasingly smart and useful dialogue.Readers are compelled to emerge smarter, more thoughtful, and moreenergized and engaging with this book.”

—Regina Fazio Maruca, Former Senior Editor,Harvard Business Review, and Coauthor, Your Leadership Legacy

“A fabulous book, a must-read! People are hungry to learn more aboutthe one-to-one connection to enhance their businesses and lives. ReadMichael’s book and learn from others who are successfully making thehuman connection a reality in their businesses.”

—Jack Mitchell, Chairman and CEO of Mitchells/Richards/Marshs,and Author of Hug Your Customers: The Proven Way to Personalize Sales

and Achieve Astounding Results

“Through fascinating stories, Fired Up or Burned Out convinced me ofthe power of connection—in life and in work. It helped me see what ismissing in so many organizations. Just as important, I learned what todo about it.”

—Marian Chapman Moore, Professor and Academic Director, Darden MBAfor Executives, Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia

This book offers extremely practical advice about how leaders of anytype of institution can create and maintain an environment and work-place atmosphere where participants become energized and fullyengaged. The “Connection Culture” explains how to motivate everyoneto pull his/her own weight and work together to create a winning team.It seems to me that America’s great institutions, such as General Electric,the U.S. Marine Corps, the New York Yankees, the University of NotreDame, Goldman Sachs, and Davis Polk have been Connection Culturesfor a long time and that their “connection” has clearly contributed totheir consistent success over time.

—Hank Higdon, Chairman Higdon Partners LLC

“One of the things I’ve learned is that for employees to stage engagingexperiences for a company’s customers, they have to be engaged them-selves in that company and what it stands for. Read Fired Up or BurnedOut, and Michael Stallard will show you exactly how to ignite their pas-sion by connecting them to your purpose.”

—B. Joseph Pine II, Coauthor, The Experience Economy,and Cofounder, Strategic Horizons LLP

“An inspiring and valuable guide for CEOs, senior business leaders, linemanagers and those first venturing into the business world. The insightsprovided through relevant and thoughtful anecdotes of both successfulleaders and associated organizations serve as a strategic aid to anyone ina leadership role looking to empower each and every employee.”

—Russ D. Gerson Chief Executive Officer The Gerson Group

“So many corporate success stories can be traced back to the dedicationand enthusiasm of the people who work for the company. This bookprovides the perfect “how-to” in developing engaged and empoweredemployees. I’m using it as our text book for everyone in management.”

—Mark Curtis, President and Co-Founder Splash Car Wash Company

“The greatest assets in an organization are the employees, and engagingthem is the most direct way to improve your business.Fired Up or BurnedOut clearly outlines how executives can focus their energies, not only toimprove their individual leadership abilities but also to add to the effec-tiveness of the entire team in achieving the organization’s goals.”

—E. Pendleton James, Chairman, Pendleton James Associates,and Former Assistant to President Reagan for Presidential Personnel

“Fired Up or Burned Out is a must-read for anyone in a leadership role.Leadership can seem so complex and often times confusing when, infact, following ‘core principles’ that focus on the ‘basic needs’ of everyindividual will always guide a leader to the truth! This book describesthese core principles and basic needs in an easy-to-remember modelthat should be displayed on every leader’s desk. The model is beautifullyexplained and wonderfully illustrated by examples of great leadersthroughout history in every walk of life.”

—Keith A. VanderVeen, Midwest Regional President,Wachovia Securities, LLC

“This is a must-read for any leader or anyone aspiring to be in a leadershiprole. Lessons drawn uniquely from acclaimed personalities of the pastbecome the foundation for strong leadership in tomorrow’s world. There’sno other book like it.”

—Richard Murphy, Founder and Former CEO, ODI International

“There are few business leaders who understand the power of humanconnection. Given the shifting demographics in this country, it must beunderstood that virtually all people have the potential to achieve suffi-ciently to succeed in life. The broad principles and concepts in this bookprovide me with hope that American business leaders might begin tounderstand that all people have the potential to learn enough so that theyhave met the thresholds of competition in the global community. It is arenewed belief in humankind’s capacity that provides the wellspring ofwhat others can begin to follow. If our hope is for a world that providesfair opportunities for individuals, companies, and their communities,then we must be determined to work to make it so. Those companies thatembrace the principles advocated in Fired Up or Burned Out will ulti-mately reap the benefits of successful competition in the new ‘flat world.’”

—Eric J. Cooper, Ed.D., President,National Urban Alliance for Effective Education

“Stallard’s strategy gives business owners the tools to energize andstrengthen their employees. Fired Up or Burned Out is a must-read forleaders who are looking for new ways to inspire spirit in the workplace.”

—Shep & Ian Murray, Co-Founders and CEOs of Vineyard Vineswww.vinyardvines.com

F I R E D U Po r

B U R N E D O U THow to Reignite Your Team’s Passion,

Creativity, and Productivity

M I C H A E L L E E S TA L L A R Dwith Carolyn Dewing-Hommes and Jason Pankau

© 2007 by Michael Lee Stallard

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photo-copy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews orarticles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registeredtrademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business,fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please [email protected].

ISBN 978-1-59555-281-5 (trade paper)

Library of Congress Catalog-in-Publication Data

Stallard, Michael Lee.Fired up or burned out : how to reignite your team's passion,

creativity, and productivity / Michael Lee Stallard ; with CarolynDewing-Hommes and Jason Pankau.

p. cm.Includes bibliographical references.ISBN 978-0-7852-2358-0 (hardcover)1. Employee motivation. 2. Leadership. 3. Mentoring in business.

I. Dewing-Hommes, Carolyn. II. Pankau, Jason. III. Title.HF5549.5.M63S68 2007658.3'14—dc22

2007001645

Printed in the United States of America

09 10 11 12 13 LSI 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

xTo our wonderful families and friends.

Being with you brings us much joy and encouragement.

CCOONNTTEENNTTSS

Introduction xiii

PART I

WHAT FIRES US UP?

Chapter 1: The Case for Connection at Work 2

Chapter 2: The Science of Connection 9

Chapter 3: The Connection Culture 16

Chapter 4: Connection and the Legend 24

Chapter 5: Trouble in Times Square 31

Chapter 6: The Next Step in the

Evolution of Organizations 36

PART II

THE THREE KEYS TO CONNECTING YOUR TEAM

AND LIGHTING THEIR FIRES:

VISION, VALUE, AND VOICE

Chapter 7: Inspire with Identity 44

Chapter 8: Create Meaning in Your Organization 51

Chapter 9: Delete What Devalues 62

Chapter 10: Dial Up the Value 75

Chapter 11: Three Benefits of Knowledge Flow 82

Chapter 12: Increase Flow 99

ix

PART III

THE FIRE STARTS WITH YOU: BECOME A PERSON OF CHARACTER AND

CONNECTION TO IGNITE THE TEAM AROUND YOU

Chapter 13: People Who Connect 110

Chapter 14: The Journey to Connection 116

Chapter 15: Developing Character Strengths

and Connection 121

PART IV

LEARN FROM TWENTY GREAT LEADERS OVER TWENTY DAYS

WEEK 1

Day 1: French Hero of the American Revolution 132

Day 2: Restoring the Glory 135

Day 3: The Shot Heard Around the World 138

Day 4: Soldier of Peace 142

Day 5: Hug Your Customers™ 147

WEEK 2

Day 6: A Most Unlikely Turnaround 151

Day 7: Enlightened Monarch? 154

Day 8: First in Their Hearts 157

Day 9: Reconnecting a Nation 159

Day 10: Connection to the Cause 162

WEEK 3

Day 11: Community Catalyst 164

Day 12: The Business of The Body Shop 166

CONTENTS

x

Day 13: More Than an Oracle 169

Day 14: Ritz-Carlton Character and Culture 172

Day 15: Peter Drucker’s Kind of Leader 176

WEEK 4

Day 16: Dr. Fred’s INN 179

Day 17: Purpose-driven Pastor 182

Day 18: Patriot Playbook 185

Day 19: High-Five Moments 188

Day 20: Transforming the Culture of Kim 191

Conclusion: Build a Fire That Lasts 195

Appendix A: Questions to Assess Organizational Culture

and Connection 203

Notes 206

Acknowledgments 218

About the Authors 221

Index 223

CONTENTS

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xi i i

INTRODUCTION

WWhat fires up people and helps them and the organizations theywork in thrive? I’m not talking about motivational speeches andincentives that produce a short-term burst of enthusiasm. I mean,what really makes people perform to the best of their abilities forlong periods of time? What causes individuals to put their heartsin their work?

Although people generally enter their organizations fired up,over time most work environments reduce that inner fire from aflame to a flicker. As I will explain, solving this problem needs tobe one of the highest priorities of today’s organizations.

In this book you will learn how to increase the fire and passioninside people that is necessary for individuals and organizations toachieve their potential. The approach I will describe is based on theresults of E Pluribus Partners’ multiyear study of leaders who suc-ceeded and those who failed to engage the people they led. Ourwork draws upon explanations and insights identified from diversefields of knowledge, including psychology, sociology, neuroscience,political science, organizational behavior, systems theory, history,philosophy, and religion.

One of the best ways to learn how to fire up people is to studythe best practices of outstanding leaders. The leaders you’ll learnfrom include these:

• a renowned basketball coach whose Hall of Fame biography

credits him for producing teams that “scaled unprecedented

heights that no future organization in any sport is likely to

approach”

• a remarkable twenty-five-year-old queen in the 1500s with no

leadership experience who inherited a bankrupt England and

led her country to become one of the most powerful nations

on earth

• an exceptional woman who began as a volunteer in her organi-

zation, then went on as CEO to transform it into one of the

best-managed organizations worldwide, according to the late

Peter Drucker

• a distinguished American career soldier who was awarded the

Nobel Peace Prize, named Time magazine’s Man of the Year

twice, and was considered by Winston Churchill to be the

primary architect of the Allies’ victory during World War II

These are just a few of the remarkable people whose stories willhelp you understand how to fire up people in your organization.

DO YOU THRIVE OR JUST SURVIVE?

How many people truly thrive at work? Research by the GallupOrganization suggests that fewer than three in ten Americans are

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xiv

engaged in their jobs.1 In other countries, the number is evenlower. Just imagine the wasted human potential! Because so fewindividuals are thriving in organizations, it follows that organiza-tions are wasting much of their potential too.

Over the course of my twenty-five-year business career, therehave been times when I thrived and others when I merely sur-vived. In a couple of the worst instances, the work culture slowlydrained the life out of me. So there you have it: thrive, survive, ordie. Which term describes what your work culture is doing toyou? If you are a leader, how would the people who report to youanswer that question?

I’ve been interested in work cultures throughout my careerbecause I wanted to understand the culture that would bring outthe best in me. My interest increased dramatically in the late 1990swhen I became the chief marketing officer for the global privatewealth management business of a major international brokeragefirm on Wall Street. In that position, I recognized that a key suc-cess factor for our business was building strong relationshipsbetween our clients and our firm’s frontline professionals, and Idid whatever was possible to promote such relationship building.In addition, we developed and implemented business practicesto keep our frontline professionals fired up. The result was thatour revenues doubled over a two-and-a-half-year period, and ourbusiness achieved its first billion-dollar revenue year in the firm’shistory. During that time I realized that my colleagues and I haddiscovered something special.

In the spring of 2002, I left Wall Street to start a think tank toassist people and organizations in achieving their potential. In thesearch to comprehend every aspect of how to help people thrivein organizations, I learned from the advice and insights of expertsin a broad range of fields, and from the approaches of great and

INTRODUCTION

xv

failed leaders. My coauthor Carolyn Dewing-Hommes sharedwith me her insights gained from a Citibank study when she hadaccess to some of the world’s most prominent companies andtheir leaders. My other coauthor, Jason Pankau, shared insightsthat he developed as a leader and a coach of corporate leaders.One important insight emerged from two experiences that for-ever changed my life.

THE POWER OF CONNECTION

My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in late 2002. Fortu-nately, it was detected early, removed by surgery, and treated withradiation. While Katie underwent treatments at our local hospital,the kindness and compassion of many health-care workers com-forted us. Some of them were cancer survivors. They knew whatwe were going through, and they went beyond their regular dutiesto make a human connection with us. Those connections boostedour spirits.

Twelve months later, Katie was diagnosed with cancer again,this time ovarian. During the first half of 2004, Katie had sixchemotherapy treatments. She took a break from chemo over thesummer, then started high dosage chemotherapy at MemorialSloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Our experiencethere really surprised me. Every time we approached the frontdoors of the Fifty-third Street entrance in midtown Manhattan,the exuberant doormen locked their eyes on us and greeted uswith big, warm smiles as if we were friends coming to visit. Thereceptionist and security people were equally friendly. At our firstoffice visit, Dr. Martee Hensley, Katie’s oncologist, spent an houreducating us and answering a long list of questions. Although the

INTRODUCTION

xvi

statistics were sobering, Dr. Hensley’s warm disposition and opti-mistic attitude lifted our spirits and gave us hope. Simply put, theconnection with the people at Sloan-Kettering encouraged us.

One day while Katie was having a treatment, I went to the giftshop to get something to drink and stumbled on a meeting inthe adjacent lounge where Sloan-Kettering employees were dis-cussing an employee survey. I overheard them share that theyloved working there because they loved their colleagues, theirpatients, and their cause, which is to provide what is stated onthe center’s printed materials . . . the best cancer care, anywhere. Itwas apparent that those health-care professionals had formed aconnection with one another and with their patients. During ourtime at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, I witnessed more joy, trust,cooperation, and connection there than in 95 percent of the officesI had been in over my career. Who would have guessed that a can-cer treatment center could be such a vibrant and positive workenvironment?

Today, I’m overjoyed to say, Katie is in remission for bothcancers, and she feels great. Reflecting on those days, I’m con-vinced that the connection we felt from the tremendous outpour-ing of care provided by health-care workers, friends, and familyhelped Katie overcome cancer, and it protected our family’s spir-its. An American Cancer Society publication stated that feelingalone is one of the worst things for cancer patients. We rarely feltalone because we were constantly reminded that many, manypeople were pulling for us. We figured people were praying for usfrom probably every religion known to man, and even our athe-ist friends said they were sending positive thoughts our way. Per-haps for the first time in my life, I experienced the joy that comesfrom a real sense of community and connection to people beyondmy family and close circle of friends.

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For years I did not fully appreciate or understand the impor-tance of relationships and connection. There is increasing evidencethat this is a national problem. The well-documented decline in joyfollowing World War II in the midst of growing economic pros-perity is widely believed to be attributable to diminishing con-nection in our lives: families have spread out geographically, morefamilies have become headed by two-career couples, and moretime has been spent in the workplace. Two books by respectedauthorities in their fields, psychologist David Myers’s AmericanParadox 2 and political scientist Robert Lane’s The Loss ofHappiness in Market Democracies,3 describe this phenomenon. Inthe pages ahead, I will shed light on this problem and how we cancorrect it.

CONNECTION AFTER 9/11

Another insight about our environment’s impact on us came tome as I considered what I felt on the mornings following theterrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Walking from GrandCentral Station to my office near Times Square, I vividly remem-ber looking down the canyon-like avenues and seeing Americanflags flying everywhere against the backdrop of a giant smolder-ing cloud that hovered over the southern end of Manhattan. Ialso recall New Yorkers nodding and making eye contact with meas if to say, “We’ll make it through this.” (If you’ve been to NewYork City, you know that making eye contact with strangers israre.)

A sense of connection in our shared belief in freedom anddemocracy moved the hearts of people across America to fly theirflags and send money for the families who lost loved ones. And

INTRODUCTION

xvi i i

connection moved rescue workers and volunteers to come to NewYork City and Washington, D.C., to do what they could to help.Although New Yorkers pride themselves on individualism, I cantell you they were profoundly moved by the outpouring of affec-tion from their fellow Americans. During that time of shock, ofmourning, and of sadness, the empathy and compassionextended by people throughout the United States and the rest ofthe world provided the healing embrace New Yorkers needed tocontinue on.

Social commentator David Brooks, writing about Americanunity following September 11, likened us to one big familybecause even though we may have our differences, when one ofour own is in trouble, we are there for one another.4 The samestrength of connection got us through the Depression and WorldWar II.

The sense of connection I felt following the 9/11 terroristattacks had a profound effect on me. It led Carolyn, Jason, andme to name our think tank E Pluribus Partners, inspired byAmerica’s motto E Pluribus Unum, which in Latin means “out ofmany, one.” John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and ThomasJefferson chose that phrase. If they had seen Americans comingtogether in the aftermath of 9/11, I believe they would have stoodup and cheered.

WE MUST CONNECT WITH OTHERS TO THRIVE

The more we reflected on our own experiences and the moreresearch we conducted about what makes people and organiza-tions thrive, the more Carolyn, Jason, and I became convincedthat it came down to this: connection. Our connection with others

xix

INTRODUCTION

in our organization keeps us fired up for long periods of time.Connection meets basic human psychological needs for respect,recognition, belonging, autonomy, personal growth, and mean-ing. When these needs are met, we thrive. Research shows thatwhen connection is present, organizations are more productive,more innovative, and more profitable. Our lives, including thetime we spend working, are enriched with greater connection.My hope is that you will recognize the vital role of connectionin reaching your personal potential and experiencing life at itsbest.

Conversely, the lack of connection will gradually burn usout. Organizational environments where connection is low orabsent diminish our physical and mental health. They create alow level of toxicity that drains our energy, poisons our attitudes,and impacts our ability to be productive. Like the frog in theproverbial kettle of water that is oblivious to the fact that thewater is slowly coming to a boil, a person in a low-connectionenvironment had better wise up to his situation before it’s toolate.

In addition to bringing out the best in individual perform-ance, connection improves group performance. Research hasproven that connection makes us better problem solvers, morecreative, more trusting, and more cooperative. Trust and cooper-ation are the lubrication, if you will, that make the tasks of organ-izations run better. In a work environment that fails to increaseindividual engagement and connection among people, resultswill eventually suffer. Too often that’s exactly what happens whenleaders experience success for a time, only to see their organiza-tion’s performance decline.

Creating the right work environment requires paying atten-tion to the so-called soft aspects of organizations. These are

INTRODUCTION

xx

emotional issues such as the meaning of work and the waypeople treat one another. A 2004 study of fifty thousand employ-ees at fifty-nine global companies conducted by the CorporateLeadership Council, a unit of the prestigious CorporateExecutive Board, found that emotional factors were four timesmore effective in increasing employee engagement than rationalfactors.5

It would be rational, then, to take a hard line on the softissues that have been overlooked in the past. While our humannatures may lead us to assume that other people think the waywe do (or at least they should), those who have studied person-ality and neuroscience tell us that people are wired very differ-ently. The overwhelming majority of leaders with whom I havedealt excelled in left brain-directed linear and analytic thinkingyet were less sensitive to the issues that had an emotional effecton people, a cognitive strength primarily directed by the rightbrain hemisphere.6 (According to the research of one psycholo-gist—based on his study of more than 2,245 executives—95 per-cent of them who completed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, atest that identifies temperament, were classified as left brain-directed “thinkers” rather than right brain-directed “feelers.”7)Herein lies the challenge. Because of the left brain’s dominancein most leaders, they tend to view actions that improve engage-ment and connection as inefficient and therefore unimportant,and they discount the feelings of people with other tempera-ments. Such leaders will be persuaded that investing in the softissues is beneficial only when they see proof of its positive, tan-gible effect on the performance of people and organizations. Myhope is that the following pages will persuade leaders with factsand testimonies that economic and organizational benefits comefrom the soft issues.

INTRODUCTION

xxi

THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF CONNECTION

Building organizational connection is already happening in manyrevered companies. From Main Street to Wall Street, I am encour-aged to see leaders beginning to recognize the value of connectionand fostering a sense of community. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Com-pany, Starbucks, and jetBlue are very intentional about increasingtheir connection among employees and with customers. Harley-Davidson has created a community around its motorcycle riders,employees, and management, and the company sponsors cross-country trips and road rallies. On Wall Street, Goldman Sachs hasenhanced and expanded its leadership training in order to advancethe connection among its leaders. Goldman has even made lead-ership training available to the up-and-coming leaders of its clientcompanies to strengthen its connection with them before thepromising leaders reach the top jobs. In San Francisco, the biotechcompany Genentech, which Fortune magazine named in 2005 asthe number-one-rated company to work for, brings in cancerpatients to connect with its employees, throws weekly parties foremployees to connect with one another, and celebrates big prod-uct breakthroughs with company-wide parties that have featuredentertainers Elton John, Mary J. Blige, and Matchbox 20.8

Southwest Airlines learned that its performance at the gateimproved when it maintained a 10 to 1 frontline employee-to-supervisor ratio because supervisors could connect with, coach,and encourage those people.9 (Some airlines have frontlineemployee-to-supervisor ratios of 40 to 1 that make connectiondifficult to maintain.)

Ed Catmull, the head of Pixar Animation Studios, formedPixar as an antidote to the disconnection that is the norm in thefilm industry where independent contractors come together for a

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specific project and then disband upon the project’s conclusion.10

Pixar keeps the team together so that they build connection.Catmull also created the in-house Pixar University to increaseconnection across Pixar. At Pixar University connection occurswhen every employee, from the janitors to Catmull himself,spends four hours each week in classes with colleagues learningabout the arts and animation and about each other. It’s no coinci-dence that Pixar University’s crest bears the Latin phrase AlienusNon Dieutius, which means “alone no longer.”11

The bottom line is that connection is a necessity to any organi-zation that aspires to achieve sustainable superior performance.Organizations with people who report they are more connectedand engaged are also better performers across the board in a vari-ety of measures from customer satisfaction to profitability.

An overwhelming amount of evidence points to the need toincrease connection in our organizations. It is possible to thriveat work and be a catalyst for positive change. If you are ready toexperience work and life at its best and are tired of settling forless, it’s time to get fired up!

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In Part I you will learn . . .

! why a sense of emotional connection is necessary forpeople and organizations to thrive.

! why you need connection to achieve your personalpotential and how connection affects your physicaland mental health.

! about research from sociologists, psychologists, andneuroscientists that increasingly demonstrates thepowerful effect of connection on people.

! what elements are necessary to create a connectionculture (a culture that increases connection amongpeople).

! about the stories of two leaders and the cultures theycreated as illustrations of what a connection cultureis and what it is not.

! about the basic human psychological needs that aremet by connection and some developments in mod-ern organizations that have become obstacles tomeeting these needs for most people.

PPAARRTT IIWHAT FIRES US UP?

THE CASE FOR CONNECTION AT WORK

OOne of the most powerful and least understood aspects of businessis how a sense of connection among people affects their success inlife. Just as the wind moves trees and gravity moves objects, con-nection is invisible, yet has a very real effect on the behavior ofpeople. I’m convinced that unless the people in an organization havea strong sense of connection—a bond that promotes trust, cooper-ation, and esprit de corps—they will never reach their potential asindividuals, and the organization will never reach its potential.

Employees in an organization with a high degree of connec-tion are more engaged, more productive in their jobs, and lesslikely to leave the organization for a competitor. Such employeesare more trusting and more cooperative, share information withtheir colleagues, and therefore help decision makers reach well-informed decisions. Organizations that cultivate connection willbe more innovative. Connection transforms a dog-eat-dog envi-ronment into a sled dog team that pulls together.1

So what is connection anyway? When we interact with people,we generally feel that we connect with some and not with others.

2

CHAPTER 1

Connection describes something intangible in relationships. Whenit is present, we feel energy, empathy, and affirmation; when it isabsent, we experience neutral or even negative feelings. Althoughwe know what it’s like to feel connected on a personal level, fewamong us understand the effect of connection on us and on ourorganizations.

TODAY’S WIDESPREAD DISCONNECTION AND

DISENGAGEMENT AT WORK

The Gallup Organization has done extensive research in this area.The best measure of connection is Gallup’s Q12 survey that asksquestions about whether other people in your workplace care foryou, help you grow, and consider your opinions and ideas. In2002 the Gallup Organization published the results of a landmarkresearch study in the Journal of Applied Psychology that trackednearly eight thousand American-based business units over sevenyears. Business units with higher Q12 scores—in other words,higher connection—experienced higher productivity, higherprofitability, and higher customer satisfaction, as well as loweremployee turnover and fewer accidents.2

Other studies confirm the opportunity exists to improve per-formance by improving employee engagement. The 2004 study bythe Corporate Executive Board that I mentioned earlier concludedthat the most committed employees outperform the averageemployee by 20 percent and are 87 percent less likely to leave theorganization.3 A Hewitt study of fifteen hundred companies overfour years showed companies with higher employee engagementrealized higher total shareholder return.4

Unfortunately, Gallup research also clearly shows that the lack


3

of connection has resulted in widespread employee disengage-ment. Results from its Q12 survey consistently indicate approxi-mately 75 percent of workers do not feel engaged or connectedat work.5 The 2004 Corporate Executive Board global study ofemployee engagement revealed even more dismal results: 76 per-cent of those surveyed had a moderate commitment to theiremployers, and 13 percent had very little commitment.6

The state of many organizations today is like that of a bodybuilder who exercises only one arm. The result: one bulging bicepand three skinny, underdeveloped limbs. Can any body builder ororganization perform at its peak with only 25 percent of its mem-bers engaged?

The Gallup Organization conservatively estimates the annualeconomic cost to the American economy from the approximately22 million American workers who are extremely negative or“actively disengaged” to be between $250 and $300 billion. Thisfigure doesn’t include the cost for employees who are disengagedbut have not spiraled down to the level of active disengagement.7


4

Widespread disengagement is a waste of human talent andenergy. It’s not healthy for employees or employers. People don’tlive with this level of frustration forever. When they are able to,many will flee to greener pastures, most likely to leaders and envi-ronments that will provide the connection they need, whether tosomewhere else in your organization or to your competitor.

THE URGENCY OF CONNECTION

Two megatrends promise to make connection even more impor-tant: the coming labor shortage and increasing globalization oflabor. In the Americas, Europe, and Asia, birth rates have plum-meted below worker replacement levels.8 When more baby boom-ers retire in a few years, shortages are likely in many segments ofthe labor market. The numbers are daunting. The US Bureau ofLabor Statistics projects a shortfall of 10 million workers by2010.9 The Employment Policy Foundation projects a shortageof workers within this decade and lasting through much of thefirst half of this century. At its peak, it is expected that Americawill experience a shortfall of 35 million workers.10 Because work-ers will have so many jobs to choose from, leaders must under-stand the impact of the looming labor shortage. They will needto provide a workplace culture that attracts and retains employ-ees or suffer as insufficient labor is available to meet their growthgoals.

The coming labor shortage was highlighted in a lead article ofthe Harvard Business Review. In “It’s Time to Retire Retirement,”authors Ken Dychtwald, Tamara Erickson, and Bob Morison con-cluded, after a year-long study of the implications for businessesof the aging workforce:


5

• Mass retirement threatens to drain talent from businesses

over the next ten to fifteen years.

• Businesses will need to attract and retain older workers to meet

their human resource needs.

• The workplace environment will need to be altered in order to

attract and retain workers.11

The media’s coverage of this megatrend has just begun. TheWall Street Journal, Time, Foreign Affairs, the New York Times, andother thought-leading periodicals have recently featured articleson the approaching labor shortage. You can be sure that the noiselevel will rise to a clamor over the years ahead.

The second megatrend, the globalization of labor, will alsointensify the need to engage people at work. Many areas of theeconomy, such as the financial capital markets, already operate ina global manner. Financial capital easily moves around the world,and the prices of financial assets in one part of the world affectprices everywhere else. Globalization is beginning to happen withlabor too.

With the rise of offshoring, globalization will continue in themarket for people (or human capital, as economists describe us).Technological advances such as broadband Internet connectionsand online collaboration capabilities have made it easier for com-panies to move work and jobs around the globe. China and Indiahave already attracted a large number of jobs from other coun-tries. As this trend accelerates, companies that want to retain jobsin their home countries will need to boost the productivity oftheir people or lose business to competitors that reduce prices byoffshoring.


6

Many firms will be unprepared for the storms ahead, however.Sydney Finkelstein of Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business stud-ied cases of business failure to identify what managers can learnfrom mistakes of the past, and he noted that they usually knew ofthe developments in their industry that produced unfavorablechange but failed to do anything about them.12 The emergingstorms from disengagement, an aging population, and globaliza-tion could turn out to be issues managers were aware of but failedto act upon. To gain a performance advantage and reduce theirvulnerability in the face of these issues, leaders can intentionallycreate a work environment that increases engagement and con-nection within the organization. The reward? A business thatachieves sustainable peak performance including employees whoare so committed to their organization that they recruit on itsbehalf. It can happen and will happen when you get connectedand get fired up.

REVIEW, REFLECTION, AND APPLICATION

! Connection affects our success in life. How is the level ofconnection in your life? How connected do you feel to yourcolleagues and to the organization where you are employed?Gallup research shows approximately three-fourths ofAmericans are not connected or engaged at work.

! Gallup research also shows that business units with higherlevels of engagement—in other words, a higher degree ofconnection—experience higher productivity, higher profit-ability, and higher customer satisfaction, as well as loweremployee turnover and accidents.


7

! Connection in the workplace will become even more impor-tant given the coming labor shortage and increasing globali-zation of labor.

! So what? Increasing connection in the workplace is a signifi-cant opportunity to improve the performance of individualsand organizations.


8

THE SCIENCE OF CONNECTION

IIn recent years, neuroscientists have discovered that positivehuman contact has a physiological effect on people. Morespecifically, it reduces the blood levels of the stress hormonesepinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol. It increases the neuro-transmitter dopamine, which enhances attention and pleasure,and serotonin, which eases fear and worry. Connection alsoincreases the levels of oxytocin and/or vasopressin that make usmore trusting and helps us bond with others.1 In laymen’s terms,connection makes us feel good. Connection provides a sense ofwell-being, it minimizes stress, and it makes us more trusting.

The observations of psychiatrists confirm these discoveriesabout connection. Dr. Edward Hallowell, a practicing psychiatristand instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, has writ-ten that most business executives he encounters in his practice aredeprived of connection with others, and he has stated that itmakes them feel lonely, isolated, and confused at work. He believesthat people in organizations with a deficiency of connectionbecome distrusting, disrespectful, and dissatisfied. He describes

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CHAPTER 2

these cultures without connection as “corrosive.” To treat patientssuffering from emotional isolation, Dr. Hallowell helps them in-crease connection in their lives.

Some psychoanalysts and psychologists at Wellesley Collegeare doing work in what they refer to as “Relational-CulturalTheory.” Based on years of research, they believe the lack of con-nection in the workplace is one reason why more and more mid-career women are walking away from successful careers. Theysense that their workplace cultures are unhealthy. Because womenin general tend to be more relational than men, they typicallysense when the relational dynamics are less than ideal. Men seemto be less sensitive to connection and the damage done to individ-uals and organizations when connections are lacking or absent.2

CONNECTION MEETS BASIC HUMAN

PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS

Other research establishes that connection improves mental andphysical health throughout our lives3:

• Babies who are held, stroked, and cuddled are mentally and

physically healthier.

• Adolescents who feel connected at home and at school are

more well-adjusted.

• Patients with greater social support recover faster.

• People who experience positive human contact are more cre-

ative and better problem solvers.4


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• Adults with more social relationships are less prone to sick-

ness, depression, and suicide.

• Seniors with greater social relationships live longer.

All of this evidence begs the question, what is it about con-nection that makes it so powerful? We have deeply felt humanneeds to be respected, to be recognized for our talents, to belong,to have autonomy or control over our work, to experience per-sonal growth, and to do work that we feel has meaning and do itin a way that we feel is ethical. When we work in an environmentthat recognizes these realities of our human nature, we thrive. Wefeel more energetic, more optimistic, and more fully alive. Whenwe work in an environment that fails to recognize these parts ofour human nature, our physical and mental health are damaged.5

People want and need to be valued. Psychologist AbrahamMaslow, in the landmark article “A Theory of Human Motivation,”described it this way:

All people in our society (with a few pathological exceptions)

have a need or desire for a stable, firmly based, (usually) high

evaluation of themselves, for self-respect, or self-esteem, and for

the esteem of others. By firmly based self-esteem, we mean that

which is soundly based on real capacity, achievement and respect

of others. These are, first, the desire for strength, for achievement,

for adequacy, for confidence in the face of the world, and for

independence and freedom. Secondly, we have what we may call

the desire for reputation or prestige (defining it as respect or

esteem from other people), recognition, attention, importance or

appreciation . . . More and more today . . . there is appearing

widespread appreciation of their central importance.6


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Maslow went on to recognize that the needs for self-esteemand the esteem of others are deficit needs (needs that, if unmetover time, will produce pain and the desire to relieve them). Oneexample of a deficit need is the physical need for nourishment.Left unmet, this deficit need produces the pain of hunger and thedrive to seek food and eat.

When people are shown respect in the workplace and theirreal talents and contributions are genuinely recognized, theybecome fired up. They put their hearts into their work. Beingconsistently disrespected or ignored damages their sense of self-worth and drives them to seek ways to restore their status. If theyare unable to, they eventually become disengaged.

Having established our need to be valued as a deficit need,Maslow commented on the effect of meeting esteem needs:

Satisfaction of the self-esteem need leads to feelings of self-

confidence, worth, strength, capability and adequacy of being

useful and necessary in the world. But the thwarting of these

needs produces feelings of inferiority, of weakness and of

helplessness. These feelings in turn give rise to either basic

self-discouragement or else neurotic trends.7

While Abraham Maslow brought new insights to help usunderstand human motivation, the individual’s need to be valuedhas been recognized by wise observers of human nature sinceancient times. The philosopher Aristotle, in his NicomacheanEthics, recognized that people seek happiness, which comes, inpart, from having self-esteem and receiving the honor of othersthat one rightly deserves. In his other works, Aristotle arguedthat the best state—or culture, for our purposes—is one thatdoes everything possible to promote the pursuit of happiness.


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He observed that happiness was necessary to achieve humanhealth, vitality, and vigor, all of which are sure signs of humanconnection.

The human hunger for respect and recognition is strong. Leftunmet, it produces lackadaisical or potentially destructive behav-ior. Television shows such as The Office, movies such as OfficeSpace, and comic strips such as Dilbert tap into the very real dis-content created when people feel they are not valued. Companiesthat ignore the esteem needs of their employees are committingself-sabotage. Predictably, large numbers of their employees justgo through the motions, or worse, they seek ways to retaliateagainst an organization that marginalizes them. Unethical behav-ior is more likely to occur in cultures where large numbers ofpeople are disconnected. People may be more willing to commitillegitimate acts to achieve the results they desire and win therecognition they crave or to retaliate against people who they feeltreat them unfairly. Other basic human psychological needs in-clude the needs for autonomy, personal growth, and meaning(we’ll explore these needs in more detail later on).

Let’s consider how the human psychological needs and con-nection play out in the workplace. When we first meet people, weexpect them to respect us. If they look down on us or they areuncivil or condescending, we get upset. In time, as our colleaguesget to know us, we expect them to appreciate or recognize us forour talents and contributions. That really makes us feel good. Lateron, we expect to be treated and thought of as integral parts of thecommunity. Our connection to the group is further strengthenedwhen we feel we have control over our work. Connection is dimin-ished, however, when we feel others are micromanaging or over-controlling us. People who overcontrol us send the message that weare incompetent and that we are not trusted or respected.


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Connection is enhanced when we experience personal growth.In other words, our role, our work in the group, is a good fit withour skills and provides enough challenge that we feel good whenwe rise to meet it but not so much that we become totally stressedout. When we are in the right role and therefore more productive,people notice and affirm us. This also increases our sense of con-nection to the group. Finally, we are motivated when we know ourwork is meaningful in some way and we are around other peoplewho share our belief that our work is important. To the extent thatthese human needs for respect, recognition, belonging, autonomy,personal growth, and meaning are met, we feel connected to thegroup.

The bottom line is that connection plays a critical part inimproving individual performance. People who are more con-nected with others fare better than those who are less connected.Because it meets our human needs, connection makes peoplemore trusting, more cooperative, more empathetic, more enthu-siastic, more optimistic, more energetic, more creative, and bet-ter problem solvers. In this environment, people want to helptheir colleagues. They are more open and share information thathelps decision makers become better informed. The opennessand marketplace of ideas that emerge in a trusting, cooperativeenvironment also make people more innovative.


! Neuroscientists have shown that connection enhances atten-tion, a sense of pleasure and trust in others, and reduces fearand worry.


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! Psychiatrists have observed in business executives that theirlack of connection makes them feel lonely, isolated, andconfused, and makes them distrusting, disrespectful, anddissatisfied.

! Sociologists and medical researchers have discovered thatfrom the time of our birth, people with a higher degree ofconnection experience superior physical and mental health.

! Connection with others has a positive effect on us because itmeets our basic human psychological needs for respect,recognition, belonging, autonomy, personal growth, andmeaning.

! So what? The findings of neuroscientists, psychiatrists, sociol-ogists, and medical researchers support that a higher degreeof connection improves our mental and physical perform-ance. We ignore it at our peril.


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I

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THE CONNECTION CULTURE

CHAPTER 3

If connection is so beneficial to firing up people and to improving anorganization’s performance, what can be done to foster it and makeit part of your organization’s DNA? I believe the answer is to inten-tionally create a connection culture. Culture is the predominantbeliefs and behaviors shared by a group of people. A connection cul-ture, therefore, is a culture that embraces the necessary beliefs andbehaviors that enhance connection among people and meet the uni-versal human needs. The elements in a connection culture that meetthese basic human psychological needs can be summarized as vision,value, and voice.

CONNECTION CULTURE ELEMENT #1: VISION

The first element of a connection culture is vision. It exists in anorganization when everyone is

motivated by the organization’s mission,

united by its values, and

proud of its reputation.

Sharing a purpose or set of beliefs unites and motivates people.At Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center people are united andmotivated by the aspiration stated in their tagline, the best cancercare, anywhere, and the organization’s reputation as a leading can-cer center in the world.

Another example of vision is Apple Computer’s “ThinkDifferent” advertising campaign. It was conceived following SteveJobs’s return to Apple in 1996 after a twelve-year exile. As youmay recall, Apple had booted Jobs and brought in marketing proJohn Scully to take Apple to the next level, which never happened.So the board of directors turned back to Jobs for help. One of hisfirst efforts when he returned was to work with Apple’s ad agencyto create the “Think Different” campaign. It featured pictures ofinnovators in science, philosophy, and the arts such as theoreticalphysicist Albert Einstein, humanitarian Mahatma Gandhi, dancer/choreographer Martha Graham, photographer Ansel Adams,physicist Richard Feynman, and painter Pablo Picasso. The cam-paign communicated that Apple people were more than technol-ogists; they were innovators and artists who gave others likethemselves the tools to change the world. It created a powerfulemotional bond, a connection between Jobs, Apple employees,and Apple customers, who are, by the way, intensely loyal andevangelistic when it comes to spreading the gospel of Apple.1

Other organizations have a compelling vision that unites andmotivates their people. Charles Schwab’s vision is to create “themost useful and ethical financial products in the world.” Disney’svision is to “make people happy.”Our vision at E Pluribus Partnersis to “unlock human and corporate potential.”

Another favorite example of a brilliant leader who broughtvision to a group of people goes back a few years. During WorldWar II, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt traveled to Seattle,


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Washington, to meet with 18,000 aircraft workers at BoeingCorporation. FDR brought with him a young airplane pilotnamed Hewitt Wheless from Texas. The pilot had escaped deaththanks to the resilience of the bullet-riddled B-17 plane he flewout of harm’s way. His plane had been built at that very Boeingplant. Do you think seeing and hearing that young pilot thankthem for saving his life connected them to a common cause? Youbet it did. It transformed those welders and riveters into freedomfighters. From 1941 until 1945 American aircraft companies out-produced the Nazis three to one and built nearly three hundredthousand airplanes.2

CONNECTION CULTURE ELEMENT #2: VALUE

The second element of a connection culture is value. Value existsin an organization when everyone

understands the basic psychological needs of people,

appreciates their positive, unique contributions, and

helps them achieve their potential.

Let me give you a few examples of value in a culture. DavidNeeleman, the CEO of jetBlue, meets 95 percent of new employ-ees on their first day of work. From day one he demonstrates thathe values them. He also sets aside one day each week to travel onjetBlue flights where he serves beverages and gets down on hishands and knees to clean planes. His actions show that he doesn’tdevalue the work done by the people with the least prestigiousjobs at jetBlue. Throughout the course of each day the high-energy and outgoing Neeleman is constantly connecting withcrew members and customers. He knows that connection is im-portant. In fact, he has said that most airlines treat passengers like


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cattle and that jetBlue is different because its crew membersmake personal connections with passengers. Neeleman’s effortshave paid off as jetBlue’s reputation as a great place to work hasspread. In 2002, when jetBlue had to fill two thousand positions,it received 130,000 applications.3 Could your organization findthe best of the best if it had an application pool like that?

Value also includes protecting people from the abuse of power,such as incivility, sexual misconduct or prejudice, and other actionsthat make people feel disconnected from their community becauseit failed to protect them. On a few rare occasions, Jack Mitchell,CEO of the retail clothier Mitchells/Richards/Marshs, has told cus-tomers to take their business elsewhere because they became ver-bally abusive to an employee.4

Allan Loren, who led the turnaround of Dun and Bradstreet,established a rule that no meeting would be scheduled on Mondaysor Fridays if it required people to travel over the weekend. He val-ued employees enough to protect their personal time. Loren alsowanted to see them grow, so he matched everyone in the organi-zation with a buddy who would provide continuous feedbackabout personal growth goals. Buddies were selected based ontheir strengths in areas in which a particular employee wanted toimprove. Loren asked that employee satisfaction surveys be com-pleted twice each year to see how people were doing.5

Carl Sewell, CEO of Sewell Automotive in Dallas, one of themost successful automobile retailers nationwide, intentionallyhires caring people and nurtures a caring culture that creates con-nection among employees and customers. His passion for hiringsuch employees intensified after he was treated for cancer by ded-icated health-care professionals at M. D. Anderson Cancer Centerin Houston.6 Sewell knows firsthand how uplifting it is to bearound others who really value us.


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CONNECTION CULTURE ELEMENT #3: VOICE

The third element of a connection culture is voice. It exists in anorganization when everyone

seeks the ideas of others,

shares ideas and opinions honestly, and

safeguards relational connections.

Seeking and considering people’s ideas and opinions helpmeet the human needs for respect, recognition, and belonging.“Being in the loop,” so to speak, makes people feel connected totheir colleagues, just as “being out of the loop” makes people feeldisconnected. Voice also requires communicating in a way that issensitive to the emotions of others. Being sensitive to people’sfeelings safeguards connections just as insensitivity quicklydestroys them.

A. G. Lafley, the CEO of Procter & Gamble, is a master ofusing voice to boost the performance of his organization. Lafleyactively seeks people’s views. When he meets with people, he tellsthem what’s honestly on his mind before he asks them to sharethe issues they are thinking about. He encourages them to “get themoose out of the closets” before they grow into bigger problems.When he first became CEO, Lafley asked P&G’s chief marketingofficer to conduct a survey of employees and request their ideas,many of which he ended up implementing. Lafley knows howmuch it fires up people to see their ideas come to life. In his inter-actions with people, he makes it all about them rather than allabout him. And the results he has helped produce have beenstunning. When he became CEO, P&G was performing poorlyand morale was low. In his first twelve months, Lafley led aneffort that resulted in a substantial increase in employee approval


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of P&G’s leadership and soaring profitability and stock price, somuch so that P&G was able to acquire the Gillette Corporation.7

THE CONNECTION FORMULA

A good way to remember the elements in a connection culture isto remember the following formula: Vision + Value + Voice =Connection. When these elements of a connection culture are inplace, it’s a win-win for individuals and organizations.

The following diagram maps the rationale that supports con-nection: the connection culture meets basic human psychologicalneeds that help individuals and organizations thrive.

In the next two chapters, we will examine two leaders and thecultures they created to illustrate what a connection culture is andwhat it is not. The first leader is enshrined in the Basketball Hallof Fame where his biography credits him for producing “teamsthat scaled unprecedented heights that no future organizationin any sport is likely to approach.” The second leader produced


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spectacular results for a short time until the culture he createdcame back to haunt him.


! A connection culture is an environment that meets our basicpsychological needs for respect, recognition, belonging, auton-omy, personal growth, and meaning.

! The elements of a connection culture are vision, value, andvoice.

! Vision exists in an organization when everyone is motivatedby the organization’s mission, united by its values, and proudof its reputation.

! Value exists in an organization when everyone understandsthe basic psychological needs of people, appreciates theirpositive, unique contributions, and helps them achieve theirpotential.

! Voice exists in an organization when everyone seeks the ideasof others, shares ideas and opinions honestly, and safeguardsrelational connections.

! The connection formula is Vision + Value + Voice =Connection.

! Have you experienced a sense of connection in some work-places but not in others?


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! As a consumer, have you experienced connection with thepeople who work for a company from which you purchasedgoods or services? Have there been times you felt a sense ofconnection to your fellow citizens? Consider what you canlearn from your personal experiences with connection.

! So what? A connection culture increases connection amongpeople by increasing the cultural elements of vision, value,and voice. Leaders should be intentional about creating aconnection culture in order to reap its benefits.


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CONNECTION AND THE LEGEND

CHAPTER 4

So often in life, good things bloom from the seeds of hardship. Thepersonal character of a young teenager who went on to become agreat leader was immeasurably shaped during the Depressionwhen his family lost their farm in Indiana. His father’s reaction tothe loss was unusual: he wasn’t bitter about it. Instead, his dadfocused on the future and told his children that everything wouldbe all right. And it was.

During those impressionable years in this leader’s life, helearned that, like the Depression, some things in life are not in ourcontrol. His father taught him that he should always strive to dohis best at anything he chose to do and not worry about the out-come. He would later spread that philosophy to countless others.

Another perspective he gained during those formative yearswas to value people. By watching his mom and dad and hearingthe stories of faith they taught him, he learned the joy that camefrom making people and relationships his focus in life.

The young boy grew up to be an outstanding high school andcollege basketball player in a state that was rabid about the game.After college he married Nell, the love of his life and the only

woman he had ever dated. He taught high school English andcoached basketball until 1943 when he enlisted to serve in thenavy during World War II. When he returned from the war to thehigh school in South Bend, Indiana, where he previously taught,he was offered his old job. Other returning GIs were not, however,and so he refused the offer because he felt it was wrong for theschool to deny veterans the jobs they had left to serve their coun-try. Instead, he accepted an offer to become athletic director andhead basketball coach at Indiana State Teachers College.1

A CARING COACH

For the 1946–47 season Indiana State received a postseason invi-tation to the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball(NAIB) national play-offs. After the coach learned that a youngAfrican-American second-string guard on his team, ClarenceWalker, would not be allowed to participate in the tournamentbecause of the color of his skin, he declined the offer. The follow-ing season NAIB officials invited Indiana State again, and this timedecided they would allow Clarence to play, provided he didn’t stayat the hotel with his teammates and wouldn’t be seen publicly withthem. Once again the coach declined. He and Nell thought of allthe young men on the team as extended members of their familywhom they loved, and the coach wasn’t about to allow Clarence tobe humiliated. But Clarence and his family saw it in a different light.They were excited about the opportunity for him to become thefirst African-American player in history to participate in the presti-gious tournament. So they, along with officials from the NAACP,approached the coach to persuade him that attending the tourna-ment would help, not hurt, Clarence and other African-American


25

players. The coach decided to accept the NAIB’s offer, and the teampacked up to head to the play-offs in Kansas City.

On their way to the tournament, the team bus stopped formeals. If a restaurant wouldn’t serve Clarence, the coach wouldmake the team get back on the bus. Often the team had to pick upfood at grocery stores along the way and eat on the bus.

When Clarence finally walked onto the basketball court towarm up, he appeared to be nearly paralyzed with fear. Manypeople in the crowd spotted the courageous young man, and theybegan to applaud. Clarence Walker became the first African-American player to participate in the NAIB play-offs, and IndianaState made it to the finals, where they lost to Louisville. Because ofClarence’s courage and his coach’s resolve to stand up for what hebelieved in, the NAIB tournament was finally opened to African-American student-athletes. The following season three teamsbrought African-American players with them to the tournament.

John Robert Wooden went on to become head basketball coachof the UCLA Bruins (1948–75). His fired up teams won more than80 percent of their games and ten national championships, and hadfour perfect seasons. Coach Wooden was the first person in historyto be inducted twice into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1961, hewas honored for his achievements as a player at Purdue Universitywhere he was All-American, college player of the year, and a leaderof the Boilermakers’ 1932 National Championship Team. In 1973,he was honored for his achievements as a coach.

In the summer of 2003, the ninety-two-year-old Woodentraveled to the White House, where he was awarded the Presiden-tial Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor.2 InDecember, with many of the players Wooden coached surround-ing him at the ceremony, UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion was renamedthe Nell and John Wooden Court.


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THE SECRET OF HIS SUCCESS

What was it about Wooden that produced such extraordinary suc-cess as a student-athlete and then as a coach? Bill Walton, the Hallof Fame basketball player and television sportscaster who playedfor the coach on two national championship teams, identified theessence of Wooden’s success when he stated,“[Coach Wooden] cre-ated an environment that people wanted to be a part of.”3

To begin with, that environment included vision. Woodeninstilled a tremendous sense of pride in his players about being apart of the UCLA basketball team. He taught them, as Bill Waltonwrote, “If you lived up to your responsibilities as a student and ahuman being, then you earned the privilege of becoming a mem-ber of the UCLA basketball team.”4 Integral to meeting his stan-dards was achieving the character values reflected in what he called“the Pyramid of Success.” The character values, or blocks of thepyramid, were industriousness, enthusiasm, friendship, loyalty,cooperation, self-control, alertness, initiative, intentness, condi-tion, skill, and team spirit. Wooden taught his players that believ-ing and behaving in a way consistent with these character valuesproduced poise and confidence that resulted in competitive great-ness (that is, the desire to continuously challenge oneself in life).Patience and faith make up the mortar that holds all of the blockstogether. When the pyramid was built, the person met the stan-dards that John Wooden believed made him a success and earnedhim the right to be called a member of the UCLA basketball team.

Wooden taught and lived out the character values he wantedhis players to adopt. They had a vision to strive for as individualsand together as a team. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one of the greatestbasketball players in history, who played his entire college careerwith Wooden, would later write, “Coach Wooden had a profound


27

influence on me as an athlete, but even greater influence on me asa human being. He is responsible, in part, for the person I amtoday.”5 Bill Walton astutely observed that “we have become JohnWooden ourselves.”6 And in a sense they did by accepting Wooden’sbeliefs, his character values, as their own. As Wooden worked toreproduce people who shared the values reflected in the pyramid,the UCLA basketball team became more connected to their coachand to each other.

Wooden infused the UCLA basketball team environment withvalue. It began with respect for everyone, regardless of a person’sstatus on the team or in society. The way Wooden stood up for thereturning GIs and Clarence Walker showed that he modeledrespect for others. For much of his career Wooden worked along-side the student managers as they swept or mopped the basketballcourt before practices to set an example that no position wasunimportant. He required even the best players to clean up afterthemselves in the locker room and not to expect the student man-agers to do it. All of his players were to be respectful toward flightattendants, waitresses and waiters, and hotel workers they encoun-tered while traveling with the team. He always said, “You’re asgood as anybody, but you’re no better than anybody.”

Integral to Coach Wooden’s view of valuing people was thenotion of helping them reach their potential as basketball playersand as people. Bill Walton described it this way: “You were compet-ing against an ideal, an abstract standard of excellence defined byJohn Wooden. The actual opponents mattered little. It was the idealthat mattered most.”7 Wooden pushed his players to be the bestthey were capable of becoming, running long and demanding prac-tices. According to Walton, before and after practice, the coach wascalm, but during practice sessions Wooden “prowled the sidelineslike a caged tiger . . . He never stopped moving, never stopped chat-


28

tering away. Up and down the court he would pace, always barkingout his pet little phrases . . . ‘failing to prepare is preparing to fail . . .never mistake activity for achievement.’ He liked to say, ‘Make theeffort. Do your best. The score cannot make you a loser when youdo that; it cannot make you a winner if you do less.’”8 If his playersdidn’t work hard enough during practice, as hard as he did prepar-ing for it, he ordered them off the court, then had the studentmanagers collect the balls, turn off the lights, and lock the doors.

Coach Wooden operated a meritocracy that treated everyplayer fairly. He didn’t believe in the star system and told his play-ers, “The star of the team is the team.” Wooden benched SidneyWicks, one of the nation’s best players, for a season because hewasn’t passing to his open teammates. (The following year, amore selfless Wicks was awarded All-American honors and helpedUCLA win a national championship.) No one’s position was safeif Wooden felt another player had proven he could perform betterfor the team’s sake. At the same time, however, he recognized thatthe nonstarters didn’t receive the adulation that starters did. So heencouraged and affirmed them in practice, and as he said in aninterview in 1996, “I became a little closer with some of my play-ers [who] didn’t get to play very much.”

Another element in the environment created by Wooden wasvoice. He encouraged everyone to adopt an attitude of opennessto ideas and opinions. One of his favorite sayings was “wheneverybody thinks alike, nobody thinks.” Wooden typically sharedhis opinions and encouraged others to share theirs before hemade most decisions, unless time was of the essence, say, in themidst of a game. If asked for advice, Wooden would reply, “I don’tgive advice; I give opinions.”

Wooden’s tolerance for others’ views was tested when BillWalton wrote a protest letter about the Vietnam War on the UCLA


29

basketball team stationery, had his teammates sign it, and askedWooden if he would sign it too. Although the coach declined tosign, he allowed Walton to mail the letter to then PresidentRichard Nixon.

A stark contrast to the connection culture developed by JohnWooden and the UCLA basketball team is the culture describedin the following story of one of the most spectacular falls of aleader in recent history.


! John Wooden, the coach with (some would say) the bestrecord in any sport, created a culture in the UCLA basketballteam that included the elements of vision, value, and voice.

! Over the course of your life thus far, who has connected withand engaged, or even inspired, you the most? You shouldconsider your parents, coaches, teachers, instructors, and theother leaders you have come in contact with as well as yourfriends, teammates, and colleagues at work. Why did theyhave that effect on you? Were their words or deeds thataffected you aspects of vision, value, or voice?

! So what? Arguably the greatest coach ever in any sport cre-ated a connection culture, John Wooden was a role modelwho embodied vision, value, and voice. If you are a leader,how do you compare to John Wooden? How do the leadersin your organization compare to him, and how can theyimprove?


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DDuring the summer of 2003, Howell Raines was on top of theworld. As executive editor of the New York Times, the fifty-nine-year-old Alabaman held one of the most powerful leadershippositions in all of journalism. After the Times had garnered arecord seven Pulitzer Prizes for its coverage of September 11,Raines stood on the floor of the newsroom at Forty-third andBroadway in the heart of Times Square and boldly proclaimed tothe staff that what they did “will be studied and taught as long asjournalism is . . . practiced.”1

Within a year he was fired.The less-than-two-year tenure of Howell Raines was the sec-

ond shortest for an executive editor in the more than 150-yearhistory of the New York Times. To understand what led to the fallof Howell Raines is to understand something basic about leader-ship and the culture leaders help create.

Raines’s fall wasn’t due to his failure as a newspaperman. As areporter, he was among the best in the business, having written along list of outstanding articles and books and having received thecoveted Pulitzer Prize. And Raines was determined to be successful.

TROUBLE IN TIMES SQUARE

CHAPTER 5


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He was known as a hard-charging leader who liked to say hewas raising the competitive metabolism of the Times newsroom.Abundant knowledge of the business and resolve were not the issue.

A CULTURE OF DISCONNECTION

Raines’s leadership style and the culture he created in the news-room led to his undoing. His demise accelerated with the scandaland subsequent investigation of the plagiarism and fabrication byJayson Blair, one of Raines’s young star reporters. Smelling anopportunity to get rid of Raines, Times reporters lined up to tes-tify against the way he ran the newsroom. Accounts of the situa-tion as reported in the New Yorker and the Wall Street Journalrevealed the following:

• Employees viewed Raines as inaccessible and arrogant.

• Employees feared to disagree with Raines or bring him any

bad news.

• Raines and his small circle of loyalists tightly controlled deci-

sion making and didn’t trust department editors with decisions

that normally would be theirs to make.

• Raines was perceived as unfairly applying a two-tier system

that allowed stars such as Jayson Blair to skirt the rules while

holding other newsroom employees to stricter reporting and

editing standards.

• Policies that Raines had put in place regarding transfers and

travel were so unpopular they caused talented reporters and a

bureau chief to leave for other news organizations.

In short, Howell Raines played favorites, denying many peopleopportunities to show what they were capable of doing. He cen-tralized decisions and was perceived as not being open to con-structive criticism. The people who were not in Raines’s innercircle felt deeply disconnected. Vision, value, and voice were inshort supply.

It is not my intention to demonize Howell Raines. In fact,there is much to admire about him. He was awarded the PulitzerPrize for a touching story he wrote about the positive influenceof Grady Hutchinson, his family’s African-American housekeeper,on him as a child growing up in Birmingham, Alabama. Ms.Hutchinson has said that her relationship with Howell Raineshas been one of the highlights in her life. Raines’s book on thehistory of the civil rights struggle shows his desire to make a pos-itive contribution to the world. I believe that Raines, like many,suffered from being blind to the effects of his words and actionson others.

The culture that Raines created was more about power thanprinciple. People with rank ordered others about. They learnedfrom Raines that the powerful didn’t need to consider the opin-ions of others; in fact, it was a sign of weakness to do so. Rainestold colleagues that his father, a successful businessman, had onceadvised him that when an employee challenged him, he had to“win that fight.” Raines created a star system where the favoredfew, the stars, were not held to the rigorous journalistic standardsthat others were required to meet.

Raines taught that power and privilege were paramount.Wooden taught that the principles of respect for others and sac-rifice for the sake of your teammates and the team as a wholewere the highest calling, and only by understanding and living bythose values could you become a winner.


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WOODEN AND RAINES: DIFFERENT CULTURES . . .DIFFERENT RESULTS

The culture John Wooden created was a connection culture thatfired up his team’s spirits, and as a result, their performance soared!UCLA’s unsurpassed record proves it. The culture Howell Rainescreated for those who were not in his inner circle was a culture ofdisconnection that was spirit numbing at best and spirit crushingat worst. Over time a culture that results in low connection or dis-connection will burn out people; it’s just a question of when. It’s nosurprise that the pent-up frustration in the New York Times news-room led to a mutiny when the investigation over the Jayson Blairdebacle ensued and many of the newsroom employees sensedRaines was vulnerable. As the Wall Street Journal reported, “In theend, Mr. Raines’ demise came swiftly . . . he had few . . . allies.”


! Howell Raines, former executive editor of the New York Times,achieved success for a while until the culture he created cameback to haunt him. His words and actions made the people heconsidered to be stars feel connected and engaged while othersfelt disconnected and subsequently pounced on him when hebecame politically vulnerable.

! What will your legacy be with your family, your colleagues atwork, and your friends and acquaintances in your commu-nity? Will you be fondly remembered as a person who firedup people, or will people revile you for wearing them down,discouraging or ignoring them?


34

! So what? If you are in a culture that has little connection, likethe culture Howell Raines created in the New York Timesnewsroom, look for ways to increase connection, or get outand find a connection culture where you can thrive.


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M

CHAPTER 6

Most organizations today have become masters of task excellence,that is, the hard, quantitative, and analytically oriented aspects ofbusiness implicit in such areas as Six Sigma (a statistically ori-ented quality improvement program) and competitive bench-marking (the practice of comparing objective measures such assales, profits, or inventory level to those of one’s competitors).Unfortunately, organizations that focus on task excellence alonewill fail to meet the basic human psychological needs that maxi-mize employees’ contributions to the organization.1

More and more leaders are beginning to see that, absent theconnection and engagement that results when these needs aremet, peak performance is not sustainable. With task excellencealone, success is fleeting.

People are both the problem and the solution. We need oneanother to accomplish great things, but we operate toward oneanother as if it’s “all about me.” The solution to this problem isto create a connection culture that will meet our psychologicalneeds.

THE NEXT STEP IN THEEVOLUTION OF ORGANIZATIONS

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STAR SYSTEMS ON STEROIDS

The prevalence and extreme nature of star systems today con-tribute to widespread employee disconnection and disengagement.Employees can be regarded as stars, core employees, or strugglers.Stars are superior performers. They are either a part of senior man-agement or on track to move up the organization’s hierarchy. Coreemployees are valuable contributors but not stars. Strugglers per-form poorly, some for temporary reasons and others because theymay not fit well in their roles or with the company.

Star systems affect the economic, political, and social aspectsof organizations. Leaders are more likely to favor stars economi-cally by paying them more; politically by keeping them moreinformed, listening to and considering their points of view; andsocially by spending more time with them and treating them as ifthey are superior human beings. Be assured, the favoritism isnoticed. The star system is similar to a caste system: the stars areBrahman or gentry, strugglers are the untouchables or peasants,and core employees fall somewhere in between. This systemmakes most employees feel like second-class citizens.2

Please understand that I do not oppose linking rewards to per-formance. I do believe, however, that it can be carried too far notonly economically—an issue that the media regularly focuses on—but also and perhaps more important, politically and socially, espe-cially in light of the value provided by core employees.

Research by Thomas DeLong at Harvard Business School andVineeta Vijayaraghavan of Katzenbach Partners sheds some lighton categorizing employees. Their research has shown that “Bplayers” (whom I prefer to call core employees) are just as criti-cal, and often more so, to an organization’s success as its stars.Core employees comprise the vast majority of an organization’s

THE NEXT STEP IN THE EVOLUTION OF ORGANIZATIONS

37

employees. They are often just as intelligent, talented, and knowl-edgeable as stars, yet they differ from them in several respects:

• Core employees are less likely to call attention to themselves.

• Core employees are less likely to leave their current employers

for greener pastures.

• Core employees are quietly dedicated to their work and to

their teammates.

Not all core employees are alike. Some core employees are for-mer stars who now seek greater work/life balance. Others are “go-to” players who help their colleagues navigate the organization.Still other core employees are “truth tellers” who, although bluntat times in their criticism, help assure the organization addressesimportant issues that others may be less willing to raise.3

With the prolonged state of employee disengagement and dis-connection there is good reason to believe that companies are vul-nerable to losing many core employees in the years ahead. Thereason: core employees feel their ideas and opinions are notsought or heard, and they are not respected or recognized for theirwork. At some level this lack of consideration is discouraging, andover time they become frustrated. Although they know thatthey’re valuable, feeling underappreciated keeps them from put-ting their hearts into their work.

Other factors contributing to the disconnection and disen-gagement of core employees has been the stream of high-profilecases of corporate malfeasance, several consecutive years of down-sizing, and the compensation differential between the company’sstars and the rest of the employees. Employee loyalty has waned;the relationship between most workers and leaders has eroded.


38

Whether leaders realize it or not, they are sending the message tocore employees that they are second-class citizens, that share-holders and the company’s stars are one team and the rest of theemployees are another.

The pendulum has swung too far in the direction of the stars.Organizations need to treat everyone with dignity and respect withina meritocracy that allocates important projects to stars while giv-ing core employees opportunities to prove that they can be stars too.

PUTTING THE CORPUS BACK INTO CORPORATIONS

One organization that balances meritocracy with connecting andengaging core employees is the United States Marine Corps. Givenits mission, the Marine Corps cannot afford to tolerate suboptimalperformance from any members. To get the best performance outof everyone, the Marines have adopted inclusive practices to makeall members feel like a part of the team. In the Marine Corpseveryone is considered important, and all complete leadershiptraining. With this level of expectation and respect for the contri-bution of all members, it should come as no surprise that in aMcKinsey & Company/Conference Board study of thirty organi-zations known to have engaged frontline workers, the MarineCorps was cited as the best.4

The English word corporation is derived from the Latin cor-pus, which means “body.” When people come together to worktoward a common purpose or to accomplish a common mission,they can secure state approval to become a legal corporation. Thisnewly created body is comprised of individuals connected to oneanother via the corporate relationship and each with a specificrole to play as a part of the whole.


39

If we are to solve the problems of employee disconnection,disengagement, and burnout, as well as the societal ills flowingfrom them, one means will surely be to put the corpus back intocorporations. In other words, we need to adopt the mind-set thatas members of corporations, we are in community with oneanother, linked together so that what damages any member of thebody harms everyone else and, likewise, what strengthens anymember strengthens everyone else. We need to build internalrelationships that create trusted colleagues rather than internalcompetitors. We need to channel our competitive energy towardreaching our individual and corporate potential in the same waythat Coach John Wooden encouraged his players to reach theirindividual potential rather than focus on beating a teammate.

Let’s face it, people are complicated. With a connection cul-ture, I am not advocating having employees standing around,holding hands, and singing “Kum Ba Yah.” I am not promoting awarm and fuzzy work environment or employee group therapysessions. I know that you may not like all of your fellow workers.That said, creating a work environment that cultivates healthyself-esteem and strong working relationships is common sense,yet uncommon in practice.

Wise leaders are beginning to see the gap between what existstoday and what we all long for. These leaders are ushering in anew era in the evolution of organizations. One day it will bewidely acknowledged that task excellence is only part of what’snecessary for organizations to achieve sustainable superior per-formance. People will eventually understand that the soft issuesthat increase connection among people are essential to anyorganization that aspires to be the best. It will also be recognizedthat star systems carried to extremes can be destructive to long-term organizational health because they sow disconnection.


40

Leaders and organizations that take action to increase connectionwill thrive. Many of those that don’t will not survive as their bet-ter-connected, more-productive, and more-innovative competi-tors filled with fired up people pass them by. In Part II we willlook more closely at the three elements in a connection culturethat will drive this change.


! Task excellence is not enough. Organizations must also havethe relationship excellence that results from connection toachieve sustainable superior performance.

! A star system in an organization usually results in creating alarge class of marginalized core employees who are, in real-ity, the foundation of the organization.

! The elements in a connection culture—vision, value, andvoice—work in concert to ensure that the foundationalhuman needs are met in legitimate ways.

! Have the leaders in your organization created a culture of con-nection that engages people? If you are a leader, do you activelyvalue people and seek to help them achieve their potential?

! So what? Meeting the basic human psychological needsincreases connection and results in a greater level of fired uppeople who are more productive and more innovative. Thisis not a “nice to have”; it’s a “must have” in any successfulorganization. Without it, workers will, at best, underperformand, at worst, sabotage the organization.


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PPAARRTT IIII

THE THREE KEYS TO CONNECTING YOUR

TEAM AND LIGHTING THEIR FIRES:VISION, VALUE, AND VOICE

In Part II you will learn . . .

! how the elements of vision, value, and voice are reflectedin the richer concepts of inspiring identity, human value,and knowledge flow.

! what the elements of a connection culture look like in anorganization through modern and historical examples.

! how to apply the elements and increase connection inorganizational environments.

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I

INSPIRE WITH IDENTITY

CHAPTER 7

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In Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman’s insightfulbook Organizing Genius, they tell the story of America’s race tomake an atomic bomb before the Nazis during World War II.The Manhattan Project, as it was called, represented one of themost challenging and significant scientific accomplishments inhistory.

The story began in 1939 when Albert Einstein learned fromthree Hungarian physicists who had defected to America that theNazis were trying to build an atomic bomb. Einstein wrote a letterto President Franklin Delano Roosevelt warning him that hebelieved the Nazis might find a way to do it. Within days of receiv-ing Einstein’s letter, FDR established an advisory committee toinvestigate using atomic energy for national defense.

During 1941 and 1942, research was conducted at four uni-versities: Columbia, Princeton, Berkeley, and Chicago. By mid-1942, the project had become the number-one defense prioritywith a $2 billion budget. In the fall, soon-to-be Brigadier GeneralLeslie Groves was appointed to head the project following hisstint building the Pentagon. Groves, a 250- to 300-pound crusty


45

veteran career officer, began to pull together the people and theresources to make it happen.

On December 2, 1942, a team led by Enrico Fermi, a brilliantphysicist, successfully created a self-sustaining nuclear reaction inan unused squash court under the University of Chicago’s footballstadium. It was a pivotal moment that meant the project could shiftto producing an atomic bomb since the concept had been proven.

General Groves identified a tall, gangly thirty-eight-year-oldquantum physicist at Cal Tech, J. Robert Oppenheimer, to be thetechnical leader of the scientists and engineers. Although militaryintelligence officials objected to Oppenheimer because of hisCommunist Party connections, General Groves insisted that hewas the best person for the job. Refusing to back down, the per-sistent Groves got Oppenheimer approved.1

One scientist on the project was a young genius from Princetonnamed Richard Feynman who was to supervise technicians sup-porting the project. For security reasons, the army did not wantthe technicians to know the purpose of the project. As a result, itwas difficult for them to put their hearts into their work. Theirproductivity was lackluster, and the quality of their work was dis-appointing. Feynman asked Oppenheimer to let him inform thetechnicians about the project’s purpose. His request approved,Feynman explained to the technicians what they were working on,its importance to the war effort, and the value of their contribu-tion to the overall project.

After the technicians understood the meaning of their work,Feynman said he witnessed:

Complete transformation! They began to invent ways of doing

it better. They improved the scheme. They worked at night.

They didn’t need supervising in the night; they didn’t need


4646

anything. They understood everything; they invented several

of the programs that we used . . . my boys really came through,

and all that had to be done was to tell them what it was, that’s

all. As a result, although it took them nine months to do three

problems before, we did nine problems in three months, which

is nearly ten times as fast.2

The technicians’ improved productivity and innovation helpedthe Allies beat Hitler in the race to make an atomic bomb. On themorning of July 16, 1945, the Manhattan Project team watched asthe first atomic bomb was exploded in the New Mexico desert.Their efforts gave the Allies a decisive edge in the war. Regardless ofyour personal feelings about the development and use of theatomic bomb, this bit of history is one clear example of the powerin helping people find meaning in their work.

THE ORGANIZATION’S STORY IS MY STORY TOO

Each one of us has a personal identity, in other words, how wethink about ourselves. This internal identity is shaped by a host offactors, such as where we grew up, how we were raised, theschools we attended, and the people and events in our lives thatinfluenced our beliefs and our aspirations. Our identities areexpressed externally in where we work, what organizations webelong to (other than work), what we wear, what we drive, wherewe live, and so on. Identity influences almost everything we do.Savvy marketers understand this and shape brands to appeal tohow we like to think of ourselves.

Organizations have identities too. I like to think of identity asthe story of an individual or organization. Some stories, such as

those of the Marine Corps, Memorial Sloan-Kettering CancerCenter, and Apple Computer, provide tremendous inspiration tothe people who are a part of them and who, through their wordsand deeds, continue to write new chapters in the identity story oftheir organizations.

Part I introduced the terms vision, value, and voice as an easyway to remember the elements in a connection culture. As we digdeeper into each element, I want to expand the terms to capturethe full breadth and depth of their significance.

Vision represents the cultural element of inspiring identity. Tobe effective here, it’s necessary to go beyond task thinking andtransform the way people think about the organization. The in-spiring identity of an organization helps to satisfy the sense ofpurpose, significance, and pride we all crave. It bears repeatingthat unless you inspire people, you have not added this element tothe work environment. And absent inspiration that fires them up,people just show up for duty.

WE BAND OF BROTHERS

In 1415 King Henry V of England led thirteen thousand of hismen in battle against fifty thousand Frenchmen near the village ofAgincourt in northern France. The young king came to Francebecause he felt that the French were controlling territory thatrightfully belonged to him. Henry and his small army were thereto take it back. And that’s exactly what they did. Although heavilyoutnumbered by nearly four to one, Henry and his men routedthe French forces in one of the greatest battles in English history.

Historian Simon Schama described Henry as “the dark-haired, pale-faced, unnervingly sober king . . . St. George and a


47

Galahad wrapped up in one unbeatable package.”3 No doubtabout it, Henry was one capable king on a mission. But how didhe motivate the Englishmen to follow him into a battle when theywere so overwhelmingly outnumbered? William Shakespeare wasfascinated by this question, too, and he wrote about it in the playHenry V that immortalized Henry and the battle at Agincourt.

According to Shakespeare’s account, Henry’s troops had theirdoubts as they looked upon the heavily armored, highly skilledFrench lords and knights. King Henry had to do something to givehis troops the resolve to fight and win in the face of enormous oddsagainst them. As the battle was about to begin, Henry overheardsome fellow Englishmen wishing they could be back in Englandrather than fighting the French. Knowing that he needed to get thebest out of his men, he decided to address them. He began by ques-tioning why anyone would want to miss out on the victory ahead.He then promised anyone who joined with him that

. . . we in it shall be remember’d,

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

For he to-day that sheds his blood with me

Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,

This day shall gentle his condition:

And gentlemen in England now a-bed

Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.4

Henry knew, or at least Shakespeare thought he did, thatappealing to the men’s desire for recognition, respect, and mean-ing in their lives was the key to unleashing their energy. Promisingthat anyone who fought alongside him in this glorious battle


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would be considered, in a sense, one of Henry’s “band of broth-ers,” regardless of how lowly or “vile” a particular soldier was, washeady stuff for men who believed that they were born into theirstations in life and that the young Henry was appointed by God torule England. By fighting alongside Henry, these soldiers believedthey were becoming part of a relatively small number of men whowould always be looked up to for their amazing victory. It gavethem something to be proud of. It would make “somebodies” outof nobodies by transforming their identities.

Helping people to achieve the respectable status that theycrave is a powerful motivator. King Henry V elevated those whofought with him from their lowly positions in society, a stigmathat made them feel devalued. By restoring their sense of valueand elevating their status, their identity, Henry tapped into a wayof engaging and energizing his soldiers. King Henry V was so suc-cessful that by the time of his death from disease seven years later,he had taken control of half of France.

MEANING MATTERS

Instilling a sense of purpose in the minds of people can transformthem. Dr. Viktor Frankl, the great Viennese psychiatrist andHolocaust survivor, wrote in his seminal work Man’s Search forMeaning that the survivors of concentration camps looked to thefuture and found meaning in their lives. Without meaning,people feel empty and apathetic. Frankl explained that mostpeople find meaning in work or love.5 For the technicians work-ing on the Manhattan Project, knowing the importance of theirwork motivated them, and their productivity increased tenfold.For the soldiers fighting alongside King Henry V, their victory at


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Agincourt assured them a meaningful position in medieval soci-ety. In the next chapter we will consider several ways to bringmeaning to work.


! Inspiring identity exists in an organization when everyone ismotivated by the organization’s mission, united by its values,and proud of its reputation. Individuals have stories abouttheir identities that influence them. Organizations have iden-tity stories that influence individuals too.

! After physicist Richard Feynman explained the meaning ofthe Manhattan Project to the supporting engineers (that theywere racing against the Nazis to build a nuclear bomb), theirproductivity increased nearly tenfold.

! According to Shakespeare, King Henry V defeated the Frenchat Agincourt in part because he inspired his soldiers to thinkof how proud they would be when they returned to Englandas victors in this historic battle. He gave them an inspiringidentity.

! According to psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, most people findmeaning in work or love. In your workplace, how do peoplefind meaning in their work?

! So what? Leaders need to bring meaning to their organiza-tions because an individual’s work is an important part of hispersonal identity.


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CREATE MEANING IN YOUR ORGANIZATION

W

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Well, you might be thinking, it’s easy to find meaning when youare racing to save the civilized world from Hitler, but how can Iprovide meaning to employees who are making electric motors orproviding financial services? Although it’s not as obvious, it isachievable. Let me identify a few ways in which leaders can pro-vide meaning and significance to the work of the people theylead.

1. Be an innovator. One way to find meaning in work is toshow how you are bringing something new or different to themarketplace. Harvard Business School’s Michael Porter put it thisway: “In great companies, strategy becomes a cause. That’sbecause strategy is about being different. So if you have a reallygreat strategy, people are fired up: ‘We’re not just another airline.We’re bringing something new to the world.’”1

In his humorous and fascinating book On Paradise Drive,astute social critic David Brooks observed this about people whohave a vision to bring something new to the market:

CHAPTER 8

The press concentrates its attention on the remarkable figures,

the dot-com geniuses, the zillionaire investment bankers, or

the paradigm-shifting, over-the-horizon-peering, outside-the-

box-thinking corporate rebels who let their wacky but brilliant

employees scooter down the company hallways while squirting

each other with Super Soaker water cannons. But the real engines

of American capitalism are the people you see in the most un-

remarkable locales—sitting around in the bland office parks or

checking in to the suite hotels . . .

Perhaps one of the people . . . dreams of revolutionizing

supermarket razor displays . . . Maybe others spend their days

thinking about how to reduce glare on cash register displays so

that older employees can read them better; or perhaps they

obsess over how to speed up the receipt printer so that super-

market lines can move a tiny bit faster . . . These are the drivers

of the American economy.2

Brooks goes on to explain how many individuals are drivenby what he refers to as a “Paradise Spell,” a vision of a betterfuture that propels them to work hard so that they might achieveit. It is another way of saying that these driven individuals aremotivated to bring something new to the world. Being an inno-vator is part of their personal story, part of their identity. Do themembers in your organization feel like innovators?

2. Inspire your team to reach a challenging goal. Another wayto fire up the spirit of healthy competition and bring meaning towork is to give people a challenge or set a goal to be the bestorganization in your business at some measure such as revenue,profit, or client satisfaction. This works especially well if you haveaccess to benchmarking information that lets you see how your


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organization’s performance compares to your competitors’. Beingthe leader of something enhances a person’s identity.

Often leaders try to create internal competition among indi-viduals within a unit. Although internal competition may moti-vate employees, it also destroys trust and cooperation. You don’twant individuals in a unit to perceive each other as competitorsrather than colleagues, especially if successful performance requiresa high degree of teamwork. You want them to focus energy onexternal competitors or on individual best efforts. Coach JohnWooden told his basketball players that success is the peace ofmind that comes from knowing you gave your very best effort inevery practice and every game rather than focusing on anythingoutside your control. As a result, Wooden’s players relentlesslypushed themselves to live up to their own personal standards.

In an effort to “stir the pot,” some leaders make individualperformance results available for all to see, thus shaming individ-uals with poor performance. A better approach is to use perform-ance measures as benchmarks to identify whether individuals arein the right role or have performance issues that can be corrected.I do not mean just looking at quarterly data, however, but takinginto account a longer time frame. Everyone experiences slumpsfor one reason or another, and examining only a short period oftime is myopic.

Shaming someone by making his performance numberspublic violates the element of human value (we will discuss it inlater chapters). If a person is not performing after attempts havebeen made to help him, it is best to reevaluate the individual’sskills, temperament, and so forth and make every effort to movehim into the appropriate role. If one doesn’t exist, assist him witha severance and outplacement package that eases his transition toanother organization. People in your company will see that you


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treated the underperformer with dignity and respect, and yourorganization will be more appealing to the remaining employees.

3. Communicate your inspiring identity upfront. New employeeorientation often consists of merely a member from each depart-ment briefly explaining the department’s activities along with areview of who’s who. Great leaders take the time to invest in newemployees upfront so that they may understand the organization,its meaning, and their role in it. Educating new members beginswith a well-planned orientation program. The more thoroughunderstanding people have of their organization, the more theywill feel connected.

As I mentioned earlier, in the mid-to late-1990s, McKinsey &Company and The Conference Board jointly studied thirtyorganizations known to have engaged frontline workers, and theproject team concluded the United States Marine Corps out-performed all other organizations in motivating its frontlinemembers. One of the best practices of the Corps is inculcating themeaning of its work to new recruits during the twelve-week bootcamp at Parris Island, South Carolina. The Marines’ best leadersteach recruits the values of honor, courage, and commitment.

During boot camp, recruits learn the words and meaning ofthe “Marines’ Hymn,” including these key phrases: “we fight ourcountry’s battles,” “first to fight for right and freedom,” “we havefought in every clime and place where we could take a gun,” and“in many a strife, we’ve fought for life.” The recruits are not calledMarines until they have successfully completed the portion of theboot camp called The Crucible. Various stages of The Crucibleinclude evaluations that are named after Medal of Honor recipi-ents. Recruits learn the stories of Medal of Honor recipients suchas Daniel Daly.

During World War I at Belleau Wood in France, Daly—armedwith hand grenades and a pistol—single-handedly attacked anddefeated an enemy machine gun emplacement. Later that same dayand while under enemy attack, Daly brought in wounded from thebattlefield. He would have been awarded the Medal of Honor, buthe already had been awarded two others—the maximum allowed.3

With upfront orientation that includes other similar stories,it should be no surprise that when you ask a Marine what’s sospecial about the Marine Corps, he or she will reply, esprit decorps, a French phrase meaning the “spirit of the group.” TheCorps’ spirit is the foundation that produces a lifelong commit-ment reflected in the Marine Corps’ motto, Semper Fidelis (Latinfor “always faithful”).

4. Consistently communicate your inspiring identity. Everyleader should aspire not only to create but also to sustain anorganization and environment where everyone is united by acommon desire to be “always faithful” to the organization’s visionand its members. We all long to be part of an organization that isworthy of our heartfelt, sincere commitment. Corporate leadersneed to see themselves as chief spiritual officers, if you will, in thesense that they are responsible for creating and sustaining theconditions that foster employee commitment and infusing theirteam with a desire to achieve the mission. They can do this bycontinuously spreading the vision, mission, and values of theorganization and linking in the minds of employees the com-pany’s inspiring identity to its current situation, tactical actionplans, and strategy. Abraham Lincoln, FDR, and WinstonChurchill were just a few of the great leaders who kept an inspir-ing identity in front of the people and called upon them to putforth the extra effort to accomplish their common goal.


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5. Employ the power of the pen. Historically, great leaders haveused public speaking and writing to persuade people and influ-ence their behavior. Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sensehad a tremendous effect on starting the American Revolution, asdid Patrick Henry’s “give me liberty or give me death” speech.Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and “Letterfrom Birmingham Jail” are perhaps two of the most importantpieces of persuasive communications that contributed to the pas-sage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In the world of business, Pour Your Heart into It by HowardSchultz of Starbucks is an outstanding book that tells a compellingstory about a company, its history, and meaning. Clicks andMortar by David Pottruck, former CEO of Charles Schwab, andTerry Pierce is another excellent example in this genre. Steve Jobs’sspeeches to Apple employees inspired them to think differently.

One fine example of a written articulation of a group’sinspiring identity comes from the U.S. Navy. Here are excerptsfrom the USS Montpelier Command Philosophy, written by thecommander of the USS Montpelier, a Los Angeles-class nuclearattack submarine commissioned in 1993 that has won several ofthe navy’s highest awards for its stellar performance:

MONTPELIER COMMAND PHILOSOPHY

Montpelier is a warship, designed to steam into harm’s way and

win. Our flesh and blood bring this ship to life. We are stewards

of one of the most capable warships in the history of mankind.

These thoughts provide a framework for executing that steward-

ship and for building the teamwork that will enable us to fight

and win in war.


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Honesty. Honesty provides the foundation of trust that is essen-

tial to teamwork. I expect and require that you be completely honest

in your communication with your shipmates. I will do the same with

you. At times, this will be painful, but it is extremely important that

we have the facts when making decisions and that our relationships

are based on mutual trust. I pledge not to kill the messenger.

Integrity. Do the right thing; don’t take the expedient path.

If you are not sure what the right thing is, and you have the

opportunity, ask. If you can’t, trust your judgment and training.

This requires a great deal of courage, but if you act honestly and

faithfully in this regard, you will not be second-guessed.

Teamwork. No ship, department, or division is successful as

a one-man show. Teamwork is the key to success. Our actions

must reinforce this concept. If you find yourself thinking about a

problem in the command and the word “they” pops into your

head, think again. “We” will solve problems together. I am not

one of them and neither are you.

Open-Door Policy. Leadership is about setting priorities. If

you have an idea for a better way, suggest it. My door is always

open to discuss your concerns. I trust that you will use the chain

of command when possible.

Caring Leadership. Know your people. Translate your car-

ing into tangible results. Get them off the ship when you can.

Ensure they are ready for advancement. Make a difference in

their lives.

Mistakes. Honest mistakes come with the territory. I will make

some and so will you. The keys to success are establishing enough

backups so that we don’t make a critical mistake and recognizing

and learning from the mistakes that we do make. Your tour will be

filled with many ups and downs. It is not how many times you fall


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that will determine your success.Your honesty, integrity, and deter-

mination to fight on, will.

Fitness and Sleep. Submarining requires stamina. Fitness,

nutrition, and sleep are key to your decision-making. As General

Patton said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” Take care of your

body and your mind. I do not judge you on how long you work

or how long you stay awake, but on how effective you are.

Standards. The standard is excellence in all we do. Aristotle

said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is a habit.”

Our reputation is determined in a large part due to how we execute

routine evolutions, our personal appearance and the appearance of

our ship. It is the sum of each of our actions. Set the standard.

Fun. Submarining is an extremely challenging and demanding

profession. At times the hours will be long and the work hard, but

it is important that we have fun while fulfilling our responsibilities.

Work/Life Balance and Community. Success at work is

interwoven with success at home. I consider it vital that we balance

our military duties with our roles in the family. Take advantage of

opportunities to make time for your family and work hard to keep

your professional role and your family role in perspective. It is also

important that our families understand the importance of our mis-

sion and that we recognize the sacrifices that our family members

must make in order to fulfill our duties. Service is a team effort. I

will make an effort to create a family environment on board and to

support our families. A successful command has a family atmos-

phere, where every member takes pride in being a part of the team.

Personal Development. I expect every Sailor to be working

towards his personal and professional development, and I will

support your actions in these areas.

Critical Self-Assessment. Our ability to improve is dependent


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on our ability to analyze the causes of our failures and to take

action to address those problems. At times, we will formally

critique events. The intent is to fix the problem, not the blame.

Honesty is critical to this process.

Decision Making. I will not establish a lot of detailed policies

to spell out and legislate decisions on board. I will balance the

long- and short-term needs of each individual, the ship, and the

U.S. Navy. If time allows, I will make every effort to explain my

decision, but there will be times when it is not practical and I

expect you to trust my judgment.

Equality. We swear to support the Constitution of the United

States, which states that all men are created equal. I expect you to

treat each of your shipmates, our families, and our visitors with

dignity and respect.

Ambassadors. Overseas, we are ambassadors of the United

States. At home, we are representatives of the submarine force,

the Navy, and the U.S. Military. Our behavior and actions should

reflect the pride and responsibility we feel as members of an elite

military organization.

Service and Reward. My ultimate goal is that you consider

your service on board one of the most rewarding experiences in

your life. This requires that you resolve to better yourself, your

ship, your shipmates, and your country. Each night when you go to

sleep ask yourself, “What have I done today to make myself a bet-

ter man? How have I made Montpelier a better ship? Have I been

a faithful steward of one of our country’s most valuable assets, this

ship and the outstanding Sailors who fight her?”

These are my thoughts, just words on paper. Our actions

together make them a reality and the key to our success.


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The Montpelier Command Philosophy provides us with asense of the leader who wrote it, someone who was direct, honest,and personally committed to the mission. It is a sincere, authenticexpression of this leader’s beliefs. It addresses the fundamentalissues of inspiring identity.

Effective leaders know that they must provide meaning sothat others will commit to and make sacrifices for the sake of themission. To provide meaning, leaders must make an investmentof their time to fully understand it and to communicate it in away that reaches the hearts and minds of the people they lead.The Command Philosophy reflects a great deal of thought andpreparation, and it has the mark of a leader willing to make sac-rifices for the sake of the mission and for the sake of the peoplehe leads.

Creating and communicating an inspiring identity to helppeople become mission-minded makes a difference in their per-formance. Great leaders know the importance of connecting peoplethrough a shared identity that inspires them. Leaders who shirk thisresponsibility, often because they let the urgent tasks crowd out thesignificant ones, fail to fully engage and fire up the people they lead.


! A successful organization must have a clearly defined iden-tity that inspires people. A few ways to inspire people includeappealing to their personal identity and the aspects it shareswith the organization’s identity, establishing the value ofyour work to clients and/or society, providing a challenge, orbringing something new to the world.


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! Try to find multiple ways to communicate your organization’sinspiring identity, including stories, visual depictions, factsand figures, pithy sayings, and video clips. Doing this will helpyou reach people with different thinking and learning styles.The written word is especially effective because people cancome back to it.

! Share! Share! Share! Keep the inspiring identity in front ofpeople.

! So what? To increase connection among people at work,individuals need to see that their organization’s identity addssomething to their personal identity. Can you articulate yourcompany’s identity in a clear, compelling, and understand-able fashion? Are there aspects of your company’s identitythat fit with how you like to think about yourself?


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The next cultural element in a connection culture is value, whichI will refer to as human value as we take a deeper look at this ele-ment. Human value recognizes that all people have feelings andthat being valued matters to them. It also recognizes that appre-ciating a person’s talents and helping him achieve his potentialencourages him. He becomes fired up and feels more connectedto the group when he is part of a culture that embraces humanvalue.

The American Revolution and America’s subsequent eco-nomic success are vivid historical examples of the power ofhuman value. King George III’s inability to understand humanvalue forever connected his legacy to a monumental managerialblunder: losing the American colonies.

FROM OUTPOST TO EMPIRE

What motivated a ragtag collection of colonial citizen-soldierswho were woefully ill-equipped and ill-trained to defeat the most

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powerful military in the world? One reason was King GeorgeIII’s condescension toward the colonists. At the time of theRevolution, many Englishmen regarded the colonists as inferior.With that prevailing view the king felt he could throw his con-siderable weight around and get away with abusing his power. Toraise money to pay the debts incurred by England while defend-ing the colonies during the French and Indian War, King Georgelevied taxes on the colonists without their consent. Given thechip on the colonists’ shoulders resulting from the disdainfulattitude of the English, that was the straw that broke the camel’sback. The colonists viewed taxation without representation as aviolation of their rights as citizens of the British Empire andequated it to being treated as slaves by the English king andParliament.1 The king’s actions provoked the fury of a peoplewho already felt scorned. Thanks to King George, the thirteenseparate colonies came together, formed a militia and, with assis-tance from France and financial resources from Holland, wontheir independence.

The brand-new country expanded human value with a seriesof actions. With the adoption of the Constitution and the Bill ofRights, America protected the voting and civil rights of whitemales. The nation’s increasing investment in education and publicinfrastructure empowered its citizens, giving them greater oppor-tunities to achieve their potential and realize what would becomeknown as the American Dream.

The economic opportunity and social mobility increasedengagement and the sense of connection among Americans. Theyresponded by producing extraordinary economic growth. HistorianGordon Wood wrote in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, TheRadicalism of the American Revolution, that in less than fifty yearsAmerica went:


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[from] less than two million monarchical subjects . . . on the

margin of civilization . . . [to] a giant, almost continent-wide

republic of nearly ten million egalitarian-minded bustling

citizens who not only had thrust themselves into the van-

guard of history but had fundamentally altered their society

and their social relationships . . . [Americans] had become,

almost overnight, the most [free], the most democratic, the

most commercially minded, and the most modern people in

the world.2

Today, America is the undisputed global economic leader. Inaddition to America’s economy being the largest in the world, itis a fertile culture for innovation. Of the recent Nobel laureates ineconomics, three-fourths reside and work in America. Americanmovies account for more than 80 percent of global box-officerevenues. American pharmaceutical companies invent moredrugs than all other drug companies outside the USA combined.America accounts for 40 percent of the world’s technology expen-ditures, and American venture capital firms are far more numer-ous than firms outside the USA.3 As it turned out, expandinghuman value in America was not only right, it was also wise!Human value contributed to a modern-day miracle: the transfor-mation of an outpost of civilization into the most powerfulnational economy the world has ever witnessed.

Human value in a culture is, first of all, about treating peoplewith respect and dignity, and second, about empowering them toachieve their potential. In the rest of this chapter, I’ll describe howleaders can remove obstacles in an environment that make peoplefeel devalued, and in the following chapter, I’ll recommend howleaders can add elements to an environment that make peoplefeel valued.


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FIRST, DO NO HARM

In the age-old Hippocratic Oath that physicians take before theybegin to practice medicine, they pledge first to do no harm totheir patients. Likewise, the first step for any leader who wants toengage his or her people and increase connection is to eliminatebehaviors and attitudes in the culture that do harm to people bydevaluing them. Let’s consider a few areas where you can do this.

1. Eliminate disrespectful, condescending, and rude behavior.People are devalued when they are subjected to uncivil behaviorin the workplace. Obviously, physical aggression is wrong. Lessobvious is verbal abuse, especially if it is not clear that the instiga-tor intended to harm the target. Remember the childhood phrase“sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurtme”? The truth is, words can and do hurt.

Most of us have witnessed managers berating the views oflower-ranking employees during meetings. These senior man-agers may reject others’ ideas without explaining their reasonswhy. Likewise, they may assert that their views are obviouslysuperior without allowing a dialogue on the pros and cons oftheir position or on the alternatives. This approach is just oneexample of incivility in an organizational culture.

Uncivil behavior can take many forms, including interrupt-ing someone who is speaking, giving someone the silent treat-ment, or completely ignoring someone. Generally, any actionmeant to humiliate, intimidate, undermine, or destroy a col-league in the workplace is uncivil and should be forbidden.

Unfortunately, patronizing behavior at work is too com-mon. A 2001 survey of 1,180 workers found that 71 percent ofthem reported experiencing disrespectful, rude, or condescending


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behavior from superiors or coworkers within the last five years.One out of every four of these workers confronted the offender,and 75 percent of them experienced retaliation because theyspoke out.4

Disrespectful, condescending, and rude behavior must beeliminated from the corporate culture if we are to engage and ener-gize people. When someone consistently exhibits uncivil behavior,he needs to know that it damages connection and is unacceptable.It should be made clear that continuing such behavior will bringabout the perpetrator’s removal. A leader who allows someone inhis chain of command to commit uncivil behavior also needs to beheld accountable.

If left unchecked, uncivil behavior in the workplace willspread. Second-in-command leaders tend to adopt the leadershippractices of their bosses—whether they are civil or uncivil. Theonly way to eliminate this corrosive behavior is for leaders tomodel civil behavior and take action to remove people who haveproven themselves incapable of reform.

2. Go easy on the criticism. Another devaluing behavior isexcessive criticism. Wise leaders know how to provide usefulinput with the goal of improving performance without addingundue pressure that could contribute to a loss of confidence.

Joe Torre, the phenomenally successful manager of the NewYork Yankees, knows to go easy on his players. His approach stemsfrom personal experience with the frustration that came duringdisappointing times in his career as a ballplayer. “I hit .360 oneseason, and I hit .240 another year, and I felt I played equally hardboth years,” said Torre in a Fortune magazine article that heraldedhim as a model for today’s corporate managers. Former Yankeessuperstar Paul O’Neill said this about Torre: “Joe doesn’t put

added pressure on you or act differently toward you becauseyou’re not hitting well or playing well. Players pick up on thesethings.” Yankees pitcher Mike Stanton added, “With Joe you reallydon’t have to look over your shoulder, because you’ll lose confi-dence in yourself long before Joe loses confidence in you. He’llsay, ‘I remember what you did for me. I remember what you didfor this organization.’” 5

A good leader can take care of those he leads and still be per-formance-oriented. Task excellence is critical to his success.Leaders don’t reach the top of their professions by avoiding per-formance problems. The difference is that they place themselvesin the shoes of their employees to understand how to get thingsdone in a way that shows appreciation and respect. They improvetasks by nurturing a healthy work culture that values people andhelps them feel more connected to their team.

3. Minimize unnecessary rules and excessive controls. Unnec-essary rules and excessive controls devalue people by making themfeel that they are not trusted or respected. A leader who overcontrolshis people will not engage or energize them. Micromanagedemployees are more likely to feel disconnected. Another universalhuman need is to have a reasonable degree of autonomy or freedomto do our work so that we might have a greater sense of control andexperience personal growth as we develop new skills and expertise.

Napoleon was known for micromanaging. After the FrenchRevolution and the Reign of Terror that succeeded it, Napoleonrestored order to the nation. Unfortunately, he didn’t know whento limit his controlling tendencies. According to historian JamesMacGregor Burns, Napoleon was not a bloodthirsty tyrant but acontrol fanatic. He controlled the press, books, theater, workers’associations, and public demonstrations.6


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To teach the youth of France to respect the country’s laws, forexample, he took control of French schools from the locals andhired instructors who were required to teach from the same syllabusand textbooks. The result of this overcontrolling approach was thatchildren fled to Catholic schools. And when Napoleon enacted con-scription for military duty, the lives of soldiers became so draconianand restrictive that as word spread, it produced “mass resistanceof a sustained, endemic character,” according to historian IsserWoloch.7 Draft evaders were so desperate, they mutilated them-selves or escaped over the Pyrenees mountain range to avoid mili-tary duty. The French did not want to be micromanaged.

French citizens wanted freedom, not an overbearing ruler todictate every aspect of their lives. After the deaths of several hundredthousand French soldiers from the catastrophic campaign in Russiaduring 1814 and Napoleon’s later military defeat at Waterloo in1815, his popular support waned. The self-appointed emperorlearned that many of his supporters were of the fair-weather variety.In the end the British exiled Napoleon to the island of St. Helena.

In the business world, the destructiveness of an excessivelycontrolling person was demonstrated in the fall of the PullmanPalace Car Company in the late 1800s. George Pullman, an entre-preneur and engineer, created a successful company that builtluxury railcars. As business boomed, Pullman built a company-owned town for his employees and named it after himself. Hebelieved that a clean, orderly environment without saloons orother illicit attractions would produce superior workers. Pullman,Illinois, had a population of eight thousand people living in 1,400housing units owned by Pullman and rented to the employees. Itcontained a school, a park, a library, a church, and other necessi-ties of modern life. The company maintained the streets andlawns. Rent was deducted from employees’ paychecks. To ensure


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that his rules were followed, Pullman hired “spotters” who identi-fied troublemakers. If any of Pullman’s rules were violated, anemployee could be evicted on ten days’ notice according to theterms of the rental agreement. Pullman kept his finger on the pulseof every aspect of his workers’ lives.

Although Pullman thought the workers should be gratefulthat he was allowing them to live in a Pullman-built utopia, theydidn’t see it that way. Many complained about the lack of freedomand often left to visit Chicago’s neighborhoods nearby. In 1893when the nation experienced a depression, Pullman was forced tolay off a fifth of his workforce and reduce wages by 25 percent forthe remaining employees. Despite this downturn, workers wholived in Pullman’s town continued to pay rent at current rates. Thefinancial squeeze unleashed an underlying torrent of discontentamong workers. The combination of employee disengagement andreduced pay triggered a backlash. In May 1894, Pullman’s workerswent on strike, and across the country other railroad workers, whowere members of the labor union, joined the strike. After massviolence erupted and $80 million in property was damaged,President Grover Cleveland sent federal troops to protect the maildelivered via railroad, and the courts ordered an end to the strike.8

Eventually, Pullman’s company went bankrupt. Like Napoleon,Pullman learned the true feelings of the people he led, feelings thatwere hidden in good times.

George Pullman’s leadership is an extreme example of a well-intentioned leader who didn’t understand the people he led. Leaderscan learn from Pullman’s unfortunate experience that controls—rules, processes, and procedures—should be maintained only ifexperience has proven that they are necessary and they producebenefits for the organization. Clearly, some controls are necessaryand beneficial to ensure efficiency and concentration of effort, but


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excessive control is a sure way to contribute to employee burnout.Leaders need to strike the right balance between giving people free-dom and maintaining a minimum of controls and rules.

4. Eliminate excessive signs of hierarchy. Leaders who displayexcessive signs of their power and position, like proud peacocksshowing off their feathers, devalue others. In a sense, their prideis in competition with everyone else’s pride. When a leader triesto hog all the trappings of success, he crowds out recognition forothers. Wise leaders err on the side of understatement.

Consider Stan Gault, who led the Rubbermaid Corporation tobecome one of the most respected corporations in America.Shortly after he retired from Rubbermaid, the board of directorsof the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company asked him to take overthe CEO’s job. Goodyear’s performance had suffered, and thecompany had taken on a heavy debt load to repurchase stock fromcorporate raider Sir James Goldsmith. Gault had to act fast. Anearly move was to send several messages to employees that he wason their side. He linked his pay to the performance of Goodyearstock, and he declared to all that he was willing to place his faithin the people of Goodyear and that together they would restorethe company to its former glory.

Gault inherited his predecessor’s office on Goodyear’s famedMahogany Row. The office was large and required a considerableamount of lighting. He immediately unscrewed most of the lightbulbs to cut costs. The word quickly spread at Goodyear. It wasn’tlong before everyone knew that when Gault asked employees toreduce expenses, he would be sacrificing too.9

Other leaders have taken similar actions. When A. G. Lafleybecame the CEO of Procter & Gamble and began its remarkableturnaround, he reduced the excessive executive office space and


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used the reclaimed space for an employee resource center. WhenCharles Schwab had to lay off workers in 2001, he declined to takeany salary that year, provided generous severance packages to laid-off workers, personally established a $10 million trust to fund laid-off workers’ education expenses and, in a historical first, grantedthem stock options. At Intel Corporation, the former chairmanand CEO Andrew Grove sat in an open cubicle and parked in thegeneral parking lot like all other employees.

Each of these leaders eschewed excessive signs of hierarchyand showed by their actions that they were willing to share in thesacrifice with everyone else. In one interview Carolyn Dewing-Hommes and I conducted, a person shared her disgust over achief financial officer who communicated the need to reducetravel expenses and yet went against company policy and flewfirst class on short trips. Such leaders who are insensitive toothers reduce connection because they create an emotional dis-tance between themselves and most workers. When workers feelthat leaders are enjoying all the fruits of the company’s success orare not feeling any pain when times are difficult, they resent itand feel that selfish leaders are taking advantage of them.Conversely, leaders who make sacrifices for the good of the teamelevate their employees and acknowledge their value.

5. Get rid of devaluing leaders. Jack Welch, the former head ofGeneral Electric, talks about how much he values the right lead-ership style and how he believes it affected trust and cooperationacross GE. In GE’s 2000 Annual Report Welch had this to say:

We have to remove . . . the “go-to” manager, the hammer, who

doesn’t share the values, but delivers the numbers . . . on the

backs of people, often “kissing-up and kicking down” during


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the process. We have to remove these managers because they

have the power in themselves to destroy the open, informal,

trust-based culture we need to win today and tomorrow.

We made our great leap forward when we began removing

[these types of] managers and making it clear to the entire

company why they were asked to leave—not for the usual “per-

sonal reasons” or to “pursue other opportunities,” but for not

sharing our values. Until leaders develop the courage to do

this, people will never have the full confidence that these soft

values are truly real. There are undoubtedly a few [of these

managers] remaining, and they must leave the company,

because their behavior weakens the trust that 600,000 people

have in their leadership.

Over time GE has done just that. The company identifiedleaders who didn’t value people, even if they were making theirnumbers, and fired them after they had proven that they wereunable or unwilling to change. The devaluing leaders described byJack Welch damage the connection with people they are responsi-ble for and therefore don’t deserve to lead them.

6. Replace devaluing severance procedures. If it becomes neces-sary to reduce compensation expenses by eliminating positions,do it in a way that allows people to preserve their dignity. The con-sulting firm McKinsey & Company helps former employees findnew jobs and stay connected to the firm’s alumni network. Othercompanies take a far different approach. They pack up a person’sbelongings, shut off his e-mail access, and have him escorted to thedoor. Absent an indication of potential for violence, this approachis damaging to the employee-employer relationship. People willtake note of how their former colleagues were treated.


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By implementing the suggestions noted here, you will reducethe elements in an environment that make people feel devalued.In the next chapter, we’ll look at actions you can take to fire uppeople by making them feel valued.


! Human value exists in an organization when everyoneunderstands the basic psychological needs of people, appre-ciates their positive, unique contributions, and helps themachieve their potential.

! Human value is about treating people with respect and dignityand empowering them to achieve their potential. America’sbreak with England and its subsequent rise as an economicpower demonstrate how human value can have a profoundeffect on people.

! Several types of behavior and attitudes in an organizationshould be removed because they devalue people. The follow-ing actions will increase human value.

1. Eliminate disrespectful, condescending, and rude behavior.2. Go easy on the criticism.3. Minimize unnecessary rules and excessive controls.4. Eliminate excessive signs of hierarchy.5. Get rid of devaluing leaders.6. Replace devaluing severance procedures.

! Do you recall examples of devaluing behavior that you haveexperienced or witnessed at work?


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! So what? The element of human value can make or breakyour success as a leader. When people are devalued, they losetheir motivation to excel at work, and they may want toretaliate against those who devalue them. By eliminatingdevaluing behavior, organizations can increase trust andcooperation among employees. What have you done latelyto ensure that everyone you are responsible for leading isconsistently treated with the respect and recognition thatbring out the best in them and that you hope for yourself?


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TThe flip side of eliminating behaviors and attitudes that devaluepeople is adding elements that enhance people’s value. Thesepositive measures effectively empower people to achieve theirpotential.

David Neeleman, the CEO of jetBlue airlines, is an excellentexample of a leader who adds elements to the workplace environ-ment that increase employees’ sense of being valued. He refers to hiscolleagues at jetBlue as fellow “crew members” rather than employ-ees. He meets with 95 percent of new crew members on their firstday of work. Neeleman makes it a point to know the names and sto-ries of many people in the jetBlue organization. Each week when hesets aside a day to fly the airlines’ routes, he connects with the crewwhile working alongside them. His actions speak volumes to thecrew about how much he values them.

Here are a few ways you can do this:

1. Make a human connection with as many people as possible.Leaders need to acknowledge individuals. There’s no easier way to

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show you value people than to learn about them and use theirnames when you speak with them. Knowing names and personalstories helps leaders make a powerful emotional connection withpeople in a short time. Leaders from the top down should beexpected to know the stories of the people with whom they fre-quently come in contact. If you lead a large number of people, youcan make human connections by meeting them, maintaining eyecontact, saying something to them as you pass in the hallway, andacknowledging what they say to you. When leaders model thisbehavior, others will follow suit. Although it sounds so obvious,many leaders don’t do this.

Connection is increased by helping employees know eachother’s stories too, especially those of people who frequentlyinteract with each other. One way to learn more about others isto maintain an intranet-based directory that includes employees’names, pictures, and any information they feel comfortable shar-ing such as interests outside of work, favorite books, movies, quo-tations, and other information that communicates their uniquestories. Giving individuals an opportunity to express themselvesbrings the color of human personality into the workplace.

2. Treat and speak to employees as partners. Treating peoplebelow you in your organization’s hierarchy as equals rather thanas inferiors enhances their sense of personal value. Remember,leaders make eye contact, say hello, and use the person’s name, ifpossible, when they walk by an employee. Aloof behavior onlycommunicates that someone is not worth acknowledging. Treatemployees as partners too. Don’t expect them to do personalerrands for you. Think of others as partners who play differentroles from yours. You will keep them connected and energized asthey sense the respect you show them.

3. Help employees find the right roles. Another way to showappreciation is to help people better understand their abilities,temperaments, and values. Each individual is a unique combina-tion of natural and learned cognitive capabilities. Assessmenttools enable people to identify their skills, temperaments, learn-ing styles, thinking styles, and values. Providing these resourcesto people will help leaders place them in the roles where theywill be most likely to excel. People who excel will be more likelyto receive genuine recognition and respect, and well-deservedpraise is encouraging and strengthens connection.

Although many companies provide personality testing toselected leaders, few offer it to people throughout the organiza-tion. Chances are it has been a tool to help those leaders build awell-balanced team of people based on their personality types.This is a good start. But more tools should be used if you are seri-ous about bringing out the best in the people you lead.

Being in a position that fits an employee’s strengths so that heperforms well is essential to give him a sense of value. I refer tothis as the right role. When a person is in the right role, he knowsit and so do his peers because he is good at what he does.

Several factors determine whether someone is in the rightrole. One factor is that the job fits well with the individual’s per-sonality and abilities.

A second factor is that it presents the right degree of chal-lenge. If our jobs are too easy, we will grow bored. If too difficult,we will become overly stressed. When we are in the right roles,however, we become immersed in our work to such an extent thatwe become unconsciously absorbed and lose a sense of ourselvesand of the passing time.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has conducted exten-sive research on the subject with participants from around the

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world. When the participants’ work provided the right degree ofchallenge, they consistently described the feeling of being socaught up in their work that they lost a sense of self and of time,a state that Csikszentmihalyi called “flow.”1 His research showsthat being in the right role, a role that creates flow, helps meet theuniversal human need for personal growth. In effect, when we areperforming a challenging task that gives us a sense of flow, we arepersonally growing. Csikszentmihalyi believes that a person whois in a state of flow actually feels the sensation that comes whenthe brain is making new neural connections. Whatever the case,the flow that occurs when we are personally growing brings outthe best in us. It fires us up.

A third factor that contributes to being in the right role is thatthe job is consistent with the way the individual thinks of herself,her identity, and her values. The industry, the particular com-pany, and the specific job all say something about her identity.When her job is consistent with her identity, she will be moreengaged; when it’s inconsistent with her identity, the job will con-tribute to her disengagement. When her identity is inconsistentwith the identity of the company—for example, a vegetarian work-ing at a steakhouse—she is in the wrong place and is unlikely to beexcited about her work.

4. Educate, inform, and listen to employees. Educating,informing, and listening to employees enhances their sense ofvalue. If you don’t let people know what you are thinking, if youdon’t inform them and hear their points of view, they’ll probablyassume the worst. When people can’t see the direction they areheaded, they naturally experience anxiety. Conversely, when youinform and listen to them, they will be grateful that you recog-nized them and valued their ideas and opinions. With informa-


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tion and understanding comes a greater sense of security andoptimism that the future is bright. We will explore this issue ingreater detail in the chapters ahead.

5. Decentralize decision making. Allowing people to make deci-sions shows them that you respect their abilities and judgment andthat you value them. Many firms over the last hundred years decen-tralized decision making. Decentralization gained momentumwhen Peter Drucker persuaded Alfred P. Sloan Jr. to decentralizedecision making at General Motors Corporation. It also grew whenmanufacturers worldwide began to adopt the Lean Manufacturingpractices of Japanese companies, replacing the overspecialized,assembly-line mentality with teams that developed broaderknowledge and skills and had greater autonomy. One contributorto the continued success of Toyota Motor Company and its LexusLuxury Division is the higher-quality and lower-cost benefitsresulting from the Toyota Production System. This managementapproach combines a high degree of team-based training, auton-omy, decentralized decision making, and responsibility for contin-uous improvement.2

Companies have learned from experience that decentralizeddecision making improves morale by giving more control to lower-level employees. It also improves effectiveness when decisions aremade by the people who are closest to the relevant information.Having more decision-making authority lets people feel more incontrol, more respected, and more appreciated. Greater autonomy,so long as it does not exceed a worker’s level of competence, fires uppeople. It leads to a greater sense of connection and engagement.

6. Recognize the human need for work/life balance. Finally, weall have times when things outside work require our undivided

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attention. It may be the health of a loved one or our own health.Leaders need to balance giving employees time off for urgentneeds in their personal lives with being fair to other employeeswho have to do more work when a colleague is away.

Encouraging people to get sufficient rest and relaxation outsidework is an important part of keeping people from burning out.Toward the end of most days, President Franklin Delano Rooseveltheld a gathering for cocktails and poker where the only rule was thatno one could talk politics. He cherished the time to relax andrecharge. It revived his energy level and helped him maintain theoptimism to lead America out of the Depression and throughWorld War II. It also stimulated his creativity. During a vacationthat some members of the press criticized FDR for taking, the pres-ident conceived the Lend Lease program to provide military assetsto Great Britain in its hour of need.3

People in the creative professions, including writers, musicians,and thought leaders, have long recognized the value of rest andrelaxation to stimulate their creativity. Many of them retreat toquiet and relaxing settings to free themselves from the distractionsof day-to-day life and release their creative energies. Prayer andmeditation are frequently cited as practices that stimulate creativity.

Successful leaders, from America’s founders to Joe Torre,imbued the culture they were responsible for leading with humanvalue. Leaders such as Napoleon and George Pullman failed, atleast in part, because they didn’t understand what motivates anddemotivates people. Wise leaders know that applying humanvalue in the work culture can make a world of difference by con-necting and firing up people, ultimately affecting their own suc-cess or failure as leaders.


! Six ways to increase human value in an organization are asfollows:1. Make a human connection with as many people as possible.2. Treat and speak to employees as partners.3. Help employees find the right role.4. Educate, inform, and listen to employees.5. Decentralize decision making.6. Recognize the human need for work/life balance.

! How does your organization fare in the six ways to increasehuman value?

! So what? It’s not enough to get rid of aspects in an organiza-tion that devalue people. To achieve maximum connection,you must also increase human value in ways that showpeople you want to help them reach their potential at work.

DIAL UP THE VALUE

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IIn June of 2000 the combative Durk Jager resigned as CEO ofProcter & Gamble after a tenure that had lasted only seventeenmonths, the shortest in the firm’s 165-year history. When he leftP&G, its stock had declined 50 percent, it had lost $320 million inthe most recent quarter, half of its brands were losing marketshare, and the firm was struggling with morale problems.

Jager was replaced by a low-key, quiet, and thoughtful P&Gveteran named A. G. Lafley. Although Jager had questioned thecompetence of many P&G employees, Lafley immediately assuredthem that he knew they were capable of restoring the marketingpowerhouse to its former greatness. Lafley’s long career in mar-keting had taught him how to glean insights by listening to P&G’scustomers. Now he sought to do the same by listening to P&G’semployees. Lafley turned to Jim Stengel, heir apparent to the chiefmarketing officer, and asked him to conduct a survey to find outwhat employees thought should be done.

Although senior managers were considering several new busi-ness initiatives at that time, P&G’s employees felt something differ-ent was needed. They wanted a renewed commitment to marketing,

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more time to listen to customers, the results of programs to deter-mine rewards rather than the quantity of programs launched, andmore disciplined market planning.

After P&G implemented employee suggestions, the numberof employees who strongly agreed with the statement “We’re onthe right track to deliver business results” soared from 18 percentto 49 percent in just twelve months. And in a little more than twoyears after taking over from Jager, Lafley restored P&G to prof-itability, and the organization experienced a 70 percent increasein its stock price. Fortune magazine heralded Lafley as the “un-CEO” for his emphasis on listening and “hearing [P&G employ-ees] out practically one at a time.”1

Lafley turned P&G around in part because he increased thecultural element I described earlier as voice. The expanded termfor this element is knowledge flow. There are three primary bene-fits to stimulating knowledge flow: it increases connection andfires up people, it helps leaders make better decisions, and itincreases innovation.

Benefit #1:Knowledge Flow Increases Connection and Fires Up PeopleKnowledge flow communicates to people with less power in anorganization that they are appreciated and respected enough to beinformed and heard, and that their ideas can make a difference. Aswe discussed about human value, the affirmation and inclusionenergizes and engages people. Knowledge flow says that no one hasa monopoly on good ideas; an idea or way of thinking originatingat the bottom of the organization’s hierarchy just may be the onethat helps the organization achieve its mission. The story of A. G.Lafley’s turnaround of P&G illustrates that knowledge flow canhelp restore the confidence, optimism, and energy of employees.

History provides many examples of leaders who reduced knowl-edge flow to their detriment by marginalizing or eliminatingindividuals who held different viewpoints. In every case the peoplebecame disconnected, disengaged, and eventually turned on theirleaders.

The French Jacobin revolutionary leader, MaximilienRobespierre, is known primarily for instigating the Reign of Terrorin 1793. During that time anyone perceived to be against theFrench Revolution was sent to the guillotine. When Robespierretook control of the Jacobins, the leftist revolutionary group thatoverthrew King Louis XVI, he aggressively eliminated anyone whodisagreed with his radical views. Robespierre’s suspicions of otherscontributed to his increasing isolation. Ultimately, his former sup-porters turned on him and sent him to the guillotine in 1794.2

Julius Caesar contributed to his demise by curtailing knowl-edge flow. Near the end of his life, Caesar treated the RomanSenate with disrespect, and he became dictatorial. He acted as ifthe Senate was a mere advisory council. He became intolerant ofviews that differed from his own. In 44 BC a group of republicansled by Cassius and Brutus murdered Caesar after his behavior ledthem to believe that he would abolish the Senate and make him-self king of the Roman Empire.

Leaders’ careers have advanced or receded over knowledgeflow. One reason that Dwight D. Eisenhower was made SupremeAllied Commander of Europe during World War II was that heencouraged knowledge flow by seeking, listening to, and consid-ering the opinions of others.3 Several legendary military leaderswere passed up for the position because they had reputations fornot listening to others. Generals MacArthur and Patton wouldn’tlisten to the British, and British General Montgomery wouldn’tlisten to the Americans.


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Eisenhower, however, was open-minded and confident with-out being arrogant or condescending. He displayed these charactertraits as he considered one of the most important decisions in hislifetime: when to launch the D-Day assault and send two hundredthousand soldiers into harm’s way. General Eisenhower broughttogether all fourteen of his direct reports, not to take a vote but tohear and weigh their points of view. Only afterward did he makethe decision to go.

The attention Eisenhower paid his direct reports helped tomake them more dedicated to him and their common mission.After he decided to launch the attack, he went out to circulateamong the soldiers and encourage them before they departed.Eisenhower was on the airfield with the Eighty-second Airborne inthe evening, assuring them that the massive force assembled for theassault would make them victorious. This action increased knowl-edge flow. The time with the troops communicated he valued themtoo. As word passed among the men that General Eisenhower wasthere in person, the troops had a psychological boost going intoone of the most difficult military missions they would ever face.

Benefit #2:Knowledge Flow Helps Decision Makers Make Better DecisionsKnowledge flow helps organizations improve performance byleveraging the experience, insight, and information amongpeople throughout the entire organization. Leaders who don’tinform and listen to people throughout the organization, espe-cially those who hold different points of view, are effectively iso-lating themselves from potentially valuable knowledge that willcontribute to better decision making.

The story of Andrew Grove and Intel illustrates how knowl-edge flow in a culture improves decision making. In his book


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Swimming Across, Grove, the former chairman and CEO of themicrochip powerhouse, recounts his experiences of growing up inHungary during the Nazi occupation and under Communist con-trol following World War II and then immigrating to America.From these personal experiences Grove developed an appreciationfor an open-minded culture and its benefits, having lived in fascistand totalitarian environments in which the ruling regime con-trolled speech, education, and the arts.

As a new student in an American classroom, Grove encoun-tered a telling contrast to life in Hungary. He was shocked thatAmerican students questioned their instructors. Hungarian stu-dents were expected to listen to and regurgitate their teachers’ views.One did not dare challenge the powers that be, at least not openly.4

Years later, when Grove rose to head Intel, he promoted anopen-minded culture within the company by encouraging whathe called “constructive confrontation”—people shared opposingviews in a way that their differences would not become personal.He recognized that people needed to discuss alternative ideas andviewpoints without letting emotionalism creep in and therebybreak down future communication. Grove also praised what hecalled “helpful Cassandras,” the people usually on the front linesof the business who, because of their strategic sense and proxim-ity to the marketplace, were early to identify strategic inflectionpoints that would impact their business. (Cassandra was thepriestess of Greek mythology who used her powers of prophecyto predict the fall of Troy.)

In his book Only the Paranoid Survive, Grove recounted howconstructive confrontation and helpful Cassandras played a rolein helping him make a major decision in his career: to have Intelexit the DRAM semiconductor business and focus on micro-processors. At that time the prevailing view among people at Intel


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and in the semiconductor industry was that the discounted pricesoffered by Japanese competitors were attributable to dumpingexcess inventory. They believed that Japanese firms could notpossibly be making a profit at the prices they were selling DRAMsin the US market.

A handful of helpful Cassandras at Intel, however, believedotherwise. In their view, the Japanese firms were actually makingmoney at the lower prices because their superior quality allowedthem to scrap fewer defective chips. If that was true, Intel was in fortrouble ahead because its quality was far below that of its Japanesecompetitors. As the internal debate at Intel progressed and Groveheard from the helpful Cassandras, he eventually realized that theywere right. Grove made the decision to exit one of Intel’s largestbusinesses before it got ugly.

His decision turned out to be prescient. The Japanese tookover the global DRAM market and competitors with higher coststructures suffered while Intel focused on the lower-volume buthigher-margin microprocessor business. Within a little more thana decade following Grove’s decision, Intel grew from one of manycompetitors in the overall semiconductor market to the largestnonproprietary manufacturer of semiconductors in the world,with revenues larger than its next three competitors combined. Sosuccessful were Grove and Intel that Time magazine named himMan of the Year in 1993.5 By encouraging constructive confronta-tion at Intel, Andrew Grove increased knowledge flow in the Intelculture and improved decision making.

Like Andrew Grove, wise leaders as far back as ancient timeswarned of the dangers of self-delusion and learned that there iswisdom in seeking advice. The Greek orator Demosthenes cau-tioned in the fourth century, “Nothing is easier than self-deceit.For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true.” King

Solomon, one of the most revered kings of Israel who was knownfor his wisdom, wrote more than thirty admonitions in the bookof Proverbs advising that it is wise to be humble, to seek theadvice and knowledge of others, and to listen to them. Solomonobserved that pride leads to failure and that humility is necessaryfor wisdom (Prov. 16:18, 11:2). Leaders should not rely solely ontheir own judgment; Solomon stated that the foolish seem confi-dent in their ways, but the wise seek and consider the advice ofothers (Prov. 12:15). More recently, the Scottish philosopher andhistorian David Hume declared, “When men are most sure andarrogant they are commonly most mistaken.”6

Several of America’s founding fathers were especially well-known for seeking the advice of others. George Washington was agood listener who sought the opinions of others; he rarely spokeduring most meetings. Like his fellow Virginian, Thomas Jeffersonlistened attentively but seldom spoke. Benjamin Franklin wasrenowned worldwide for his wisdom, breadth of knowledge, senseof humor, and tendency to listen more than to speak. During thetwilight of his life, as the Constitutional Convention was conclud-ing in Philadelphia, he addressed his fellow delegates, and in sup-port of the newly drafted document he said:

For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of

being obliged, by better information or fuller consideration, to

change opinions even on important subjects which I once

thought right but have found to be otherwise. It is therefore that

the older I grow the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment

and to pay more respect to the judgment of others.7

Ben Franklin’s lifelong experience had taught him that it waswise to maintain a healthy skepticism about his own views and to


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carefully consider the views of others. Earlier in life, he had writ-ten an editorial defending free speech and a free press; he notedthat it was wise to let everyone publicly express views and, indoing so, more likely that the best ideas and courses of actionwould emerge from public debate.

During World War II British Prime Minister WinstonChurchill demonstrated his belief that knowledge flow was critical.Churchill was so concerned about getting accurate information toenable him to make decisions about the war that he established agroup outside his generals’ command, the Statistical Office, toprovide an independent viewpoint and confirm important facts.Churchill, an avid student of history, knew the risk to leaders whodidn’t receive accurate assessments, and he feared that his pres-ence and personality might keep his generals from telling himbad news.8

According to historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, FDR wantedto hear many points of view before making decisions, so he delib-erately appointed people with diverse views to his cabinet. Healso looked for people who were not afraid to challenge him oreach other. The disagreements among his cabinet members oftenbecame a matter of public knowledge. For Roosevelt, it was asmall price to pay, provided it made him a better decision maker.9

When a leader becomes isolated by surrounding himselfwith yes-men or by being closed to other viewpoints, he setshimself up for failure. The list is long of leaders who maintainedfalse preconceptions until it was too late to change direction. TheCatholic Church of the Middle Ages refused to acknowledge thatthe sun, rather than the earth, was the center of the universedespite Galileo’s proof. This and other challenges to Catholic doc-trines contributed to a decline in its influence and the rise ofProtestantism and humanism in Europe. (Perhaps this was one


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experience that persuaded the Catholic Church to allow at leastsome internal debate. In 1760, the church began formally appoint-ing a person to the role of advocatus diaboli, the “devil’s advocate,”who would argue against the case for the canonization of an indi-vidual being considered for sainthood.)

In the year 1520, Montezuma, the last Aztec ruler of Mexico,mistook the Spanish conquistador Cortés to be the Aztec godQuetzalcoatl. Cortés demanded that Montezuma hand over hisempire, and he did without putting up any resistance and despiteclear signs that Cortés was not a deity (the Spaniards demandedgold and worshiped Jesus and the Virgin Mary). Cortés hadfewer than six hundred men, seventeen horses, and ten artillerypieces at his command compared to Montezuma’s thousands, yetMontezuma was easily tricked. Montezuma’s failure to fully con-sider the situation cost him the Aztec Empire and his life whenhis own people stoned him.10

Holding on to false preconceptions continues to have nega-tive consequences. Senior management at Lucent didn’t listen toscientists who warned of the need to develop a new optical tech-nology, OC-192, and then watched as Nortel introduced it togreat success in the 1990s. As a result of this and other instancesof management failure, Lucent nearly had to file bankruptcy.11

Before the 1986 launch of the Challenger space shuttle,some engineers at NASA knew that the O-rings on previous shuttleflights had shown evidence of damage, yet they rationalizedaway the problem. Their doubts didn’t surface until Challengerexploded. Boston College sociologist Diane Vaughan, in her bookThe Challenger Launch Decision, describes NASA’s culture in whichengineers who were aware of the potential problem were reluctantto bring the issue out into the open. Pressure to meet the launchschedule and a culture that exalted a “can do” attitude and looked


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down on those who called attention to potential obstacles that wereless than obvious made engineers reluctant to share their concerns,absent clear-cut evidence of a problem. Unfortunately, not all prob-lems present themselves in obvious ways.12

Seven years after the Challenger’s loss, some of the same issuesresurfaced when the Columbia space shuttle exploded. Once againNASA’s senior managers were unaware of NASA engineers’ con-cerns about damage to the shuttle that occurred upon its launch.NASA engineers had gone so far as to analyze the potential for dam-age and had even involved people at the Boeing Corporation with-out alerting senior management. Rather than aggressively addressingpotential problems as they arose, once again NASA’s culture encour-aged engineers to move cautiously below the radar screen of seniormanagement. In essence, the engineers feared to speak candidly tothose in power in part because leaders failed to actively seek out theengineers’ concerns.13

Investigations into the terrorist attacks on September 11,2001, indicated that the lack of knowledge flow contributed toAmerica’s intelligence failure. Poor communication between theFBI and the CIA and between the FBI field offices and its head-quarters meant that analysts lacked access to information thatmight have helped them spot a pattern of activity suggesting apotential plot.14 This is another chapter in a long history ofAmerican intelligence failures that should have identified impend-ing attacks. America failed to see the inevitability of its involve-ment in World War I until many citizens were killed when aGerman U-boat sank the British luxury liner Lusitania. Likewisein World War II, America failed to understand the emerging threatof the Axis powers until Pearl Harbor was attacked and more thantwo thousand Americans lost their lives.

We’re slow to see changes in the way the world works, even


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when the evidence is in front of us. When we refuse to hear andconsider other people’s opinions, we isolate ourselves fromchange, and we don’t stand a chance of maintaining a realisticview. Mark Twain expressed the sentiment well when he said, “It’snot what you don’t know that hurts you. It’s what you know thatain’t so.” The bottom line is that when we fail to seek and considerthe views of others, we commit self-sabotage.

Cognitive scientists have begun to understand why it is sodifficult for us to recognize when our views are no longer true.Their research has revealed that our brains are slow to replaceexisting beliefs with new ones because it requires more energyand effort, more brain power if you will, to process new ideas.It’s simply easier to allow our brains to work on autopilot andaccept our existing beliefs, even if they are untrue. Only a con-stant flow of information that challenges our preconceptionswill cause us to question our existing beliefs and consider alter-native views.15

History teaches us that knowledge is power. It is power pre-cisely for its usefulness in helping leaders and decision makerschoose optimal courses of action. Knowledge flow in a culture isthe only proven antidote to our human susceptibility to maintainfalse preconceptions. Leaders who promote knowledge flow aredeemed wise for their successful decisions and their winningorganizations.

Benefit #3:Knowledge Flow Increases Creativity and InnovationThe third benefit of knowledge flow is an increase in creativity andinnovation. When knowledge flows vertically up and down thechain of command and horizontally across an organization, itempowers people and makes them more effective. Encouraging


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the creative energies of people at all levels can lead to remarkableresults, as the following story from World War II illustrates.

After the Americans landed on the beaches of Normandy onD-Day and secured their initial positions, they began to pushdeeper into France. In June 1944, about ten miles inland, theyapproached the Normandy countryside that the French call theBocage. This area consisted of plots of land that farmers sepa-rated with hedgerows rather than fences. The hedgerows weremade of several feet of packed soil topped off with brush andvines. When a Sherman tank attempted to go over the top of thehedgerows, the nose of the tank popped up, exposing its thinunderbelly to Nazi antitank fire. Allied military planners hadspent so much time concentrating on the D-Day landings thatthey hadn’t fully considered the problems in hedgerow country.The Sherman tanks’ vulnerability caught everyone by surprise.

At first, the Americans tried blasting the hedgerows open sothe Sherman tanks could then breach the holes created by theexplosions. Unfortunately, the explosions gave the Nazis advancewarning of where the tanks were going. Nearly a month after D-Day, the Allies were falling behind schedule primarily because ofthe problems created by the hedgerows and the adeptness of theNazis’ hedgerow defense.

One day, in a discussion between officers and enlisted men,the idea arose of mounting saw teeth on the front of the tank.Many of those present laughed at the suggestion. One soldier,however, took the idea seriously. Sergeant Curtis G. Cullen, a cabdriver from Chicago, immediately designed and built a hedgerow-cutting device made from steel rails that the Nazis had used todefend the beaches. When tested, Cullen’s device, backed by theChrysler engines powering the Sherman tanks, sliced right throughthe hedgerows.16


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Sherman tanks mounted with Cullen’s device looked like rhi-noceroses, so the soldiers began calling them Rhinos. Within days ofthe idea’s origination, it was on the desk of General Omar Bradley,head of the First Army. He attended a demonstration of the Rhinoand immediately ordered five hundred of Cullen’s devices. Intwo weeks, 60 percent of the First Army’s Sherman tanks becameRhinos. In General Bradley’s account of the war, A Soldier’s Story,he credited the Rhinos for getting the First Army through thehedgerow country in time to crush the Nazi army in France.17

Commenting on the speed with which the hedgerow-cuttingdevice moved from idea to implementation, historian StephenAmbrose observed:

That didn’t happen in other armies . . . I’m convinced that this

came out of being a participating member in a free society . . .

Rommel did not have a suggestion box outside his door.

Eisenhower did. Bradley did . . . Hitler thought totalitarianism

is by far the most efficient form of government . . . but as

Eisenhower wrote to his brother on September 1, 1939, the day

the war began: “Hitler should beware of the fury of an aroused

democracy.” Well, the U.S. Army of World War II became the

tip of the spear of that aroused democracy. And we just did

wonderfully well.18

The US Army benefited when Sergeant Cullen’s hedgerow-cutting device idea quickly made its way to General OmarBradley, who was open-minded enough to consider and act uponit. Ultimately, knowledge flow contributed to the Allies’ liberationof France.

In the business world, innovation often comes from the peopleclosest to clients and competitors. At Starbucks a store manager in


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West Los Angeles was experimenting with beverages and a blendershe had brought to the store. Her curiosity led to the creation of theFrappuccino, a frozen drink that became a multi-hundred-million-dollar business for Starbucks stores and a major new business for aStarbucks and PepsiCo joint venture to bottle the Frappuccino andsell it through grocery stores.19

The danger to nations that reduce knowledge flow is appar-ent throughout history. By isolating themselves and their coun-tries, the leaders of civilizations have missed opportunities forinnovation and growth. China in 1400 had the best and largestfleet of ships in the world (over a period of three years theChinese built or refitted 1,681 ships). With their enormous fleet,the Chinese sailed to Indonesia, Arabia, East Africa, and India.Gradually, however, the Chinese emperor’s attitude toward thebenefits of foreign travel shifted as he favored domestic agricul-ture over maritime interests. By 1436, the Chinese were divertingresources from maintaining the ships, and by 1500, anyone whobuilt a ship with more than two masts was subject to the deathpenalty. In 1525, the Chinese authorities ordered all oceangoingships to be destroyed and their owners arrested.20

A period of Chinese isolation from the rest of the world began.At the time of the ships’ destruction, China led the world in inno-vation. It had developed gunpowder, deep drilling, printing, paper,porcelain, cast iron, and the compass. China’s isolation, however,prevented it from knowing about developments beyond its bor-ders, the ideas and information that had contributed to its highrate of innovation when Chinese ships were sailing the world. Inrecent decades, economic reforms and social freedoms have recon-nected China to the broader world, resulting in increased Chineseeconomic growth.

Like the Chinese civilization, the Arab-Islamic civilization


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became isolated in the sixteenth century as its leaders adopted theview that the world beyond them had little to offer. As a result ofthe isolationism adopted by the Chinese and Arab-Islamic civi-lizations, both began a period of steady decline in innovation andeconomic output. Meanwhile, European innovation and outputincreased with expanding conquests in the New World and theopening up of European society following the Enlightenment.The lack of knowledge flow in the Chinese and Arab-Islamic civ-ilizations contributed to their fall from being global leaders ininnovation and creativity, just as Europe’s increased knowledgeflow contributed to its rise.

Knowledge flow fires up people by giving them a voice andmeeting the human psychological needs for respect, recognition,and belonging. By helping leaders make better decisions andincreasing innovation, the last two benefits of knowledge flowcontribute to improving an organization’s performance and, bydoing so, further fire up people. Research has shown that peoplewho work for better-performing organizations are more engagedin their work.21 In Chapter 12, we’ll examine specific actions youcan take to increase knowledge flow in your work environment.


! Knowledge flow exists when everyone in an organizationseeks the ideas of others, shares ideas and opinions honestly,and safeguards relational connections.

! Knowledge flow in an organization communicates thatpeople are appreciated and respected, helping to increaseconnection and engagement.


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! Knowledge flow helps leaders be their most effective byleveraging the experience, insight, and information amongpeople throughout the organization.

! Leaders who fail to seek and consider the opinions of otherseventually will succumb to the negative consequences gener-ated by false preconceptions.

! Andrew Grove of Intel made one of the best decisions in hiscareer by encouraging knowledge flow and learning from it.George Washington, FDR, Winston Churchill, and other sig-nificant leaders also benefited from a leadership style thatincreased knowledge flow.

! The US Army benefited from knowledge flow when SergeantCurtis Cullen’s idea for the Rhino tank quickly made its wayto General Omar Bradley in time to help the Allies liberateFrance during World War II.

! Cultures that isolate themselves from external knowledgeflow shut off a flow of ideas that increase innovation.

! Knowledge flow in your organization should be sufficientlyrobust up and down the chain of command, across depart-ments and business units, and from outside the organizationso that everyone benefits from an extensive marketplace ofideas and know-how.

! So what? Knowledge flow is critical to firing up people, help-ing leaders learn so that they can make better decisions, andstimulating innovation. Where do you see that knowledge


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flow is high and where it is low in your organization? Aresome parts of your organization isolated from knowledgethat might benefit them? Are you and others in your organi-zation intentional about increasing knowledge flow?


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AAfter seeing that leaders who increase knowledge flow benefitfrom it and that leaders who don’t risk failure, you might askwhat you can do to ensure that knowledge flow is maximized inyour organization. The following are several steps I recommendto increase knowledge flow in your culture.

1. Hold ongoing knowledge-flow sessions. Leaders stimulate knowl-edge flow by regularly holding sessions with employees in whichthey share information about important issues facing the organi-zation and near-term action plans they are considering. The leaderencourages employees to share what they believe is right, what’swrong, and what’s missing from his or her thinking. The fre-quency, length, and size of these sessions can be tailored to partic-ular segments of employees. Sessions are conducted at all levels ofthe organization.

Unlike the typical staged town hall meeting in many organi-zations, the knowledge flow session is characterized by honestdialogue. Key to its success is an environment in which partici-pants feel safe to share their ideas and opinions.

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Results from knowledge flow sessions are shared with all par-ticipants, and valuable ideas arising from the sessions are exe-cuted. Employees feel more connected and become more fired upas they are informed, they are heard, and they see their ideasimplemented. Because few leaders do this well, it is wise for mostleaders to get outside assistance to design and implement theknowledge-flow session process as well as see it modeled.

2. Use your intranet to make information easily accessible. Too manyleaders are reluctant to make information available to all employees.The benefit of making information widely available will far out-weigh the risk of information leaking to external sources. Leaders

will gain from having more knowledgeable, fired up employeeswho feel that leaders respect, value, and trust them enough tomake important information available to them. The CharlesSchwab Corporation makes an extensive number of strategyand competitive-analysis reports available to all employees onthe firm’s intranet platform dubbed the “Schweb.” The Schwebis a repository of information ranging from commonly usedforms and contact information to topical reports and businesssegment updates.1

McKinsey & Company is another firm that makes an abundantamount of information available to employees. The firm maintainsa database of previous reports generated by its consultants.Potentially sensitive contents about clients have been removedbefore the reports are posted to the database. McKinsey also main-tains a database of experts throughout the firm that can be sortedby area of expertise and by office.2 This practice leverages the vastunwritten knowledge and experience of McKinsey’s people.

3. Promote a culture of responsiveness. McKinsey & Company hasan informal rule that everyone should return telephone callswithin twenty-four hours. It enables a person who needs knowl-edge to identify someone who might hold it, contact him, andhave a response within twenty-four hours.3 This practice is apowerful way to leverage knowledge that might otherwise gounused for the benefit of the firm.

4. Ask people to be inquisitive. Better-informed employees aremore likely to identify critical pieces of information to solve busi-ness problems and spot opportunities. I like the term PeterDrucker once gave to the contributions of educated employeeswho shared an opposing point of view. He called it “informed

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dissent.”4 Leaders should ask employees to seek to understandtheir business, client attitudes, and competitors’ actions so thatthey can bring informed dissent to the organization’s decision-making process. General Electric does this by thinking of anddescribing itself as a “learning company.” Among other things, GEencourages employees to recognize best practices outside thecompany and in other business units across GE, all for the pur-pose of continually strengthening their businesses.

5. Encourage external awareness. When Andrew Grove of Intelmade the bold decision to exit the DRAM memory business andfocus on microprocessors, much of the information that aided hisdecision came from external sources noted by Intel employees.They compiled quality data on Japanese-versus American-madememories, Japanese manufacturing practices, and other indus-try-related operations because they wanted to understand theircompetitive position and how it might change in the future.

Leaders will benefit by encouraging employees to considerwhat external knowledge might be valuable and to seek it out.This practice will help protect the company from what HarvardBusiness School professor Clayton Christensen has called “dis-ruptive technologies” (new offerings that change your industry’sparadigm).5 It will also help your company discern opportunitiesto be the instigator of disruptive innovation.

6. Increase the diversity of participants. People with diverse knowl-edge, experiences, abilities, thinking styles, and temperaments seethings differently. Leaders can improve the creativity in a group’sproblem identification and solution seeking by including peoplewith diverse backgrounds. When holding knowledge flow ses-sions with groups of employees, be sure to include a mix of people


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from different departments and professional backgrounds, andmake them aware that you are counting on them to offer freshperspectives.

7. Seek other views and reward those with the courage to speak up.Leaders must encourage employees to express their points of view,especially when they see things in a different light from leaders orthe majority of their colleagues. Typically, individuals who holdviews not aligned with those held by leaders or by the majority oftheir colleagues are punished and thought of as troublemakers.6

Socrates, Sir Thomas More, William Wallace, Martin Luther KingJr., Mahatma Gandhi, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Nelson Mandela,and many, many other courageous heroes openly expressed theirviews and were imprisoned or killed for doing so.

Machiavelli wrote in the sixteenth century that nothing ismore dangerous than trying to bring about change. According toresearch on group conformity, individuals within a group considerdissenters to be less competent than people who hold the majorityview. That’s why we fear to speak out and do so only in an environ-ment where trust and honesty are highly valued. For these reasons,great leaders must not only tolerate the expression of all differingviewpoints but also encourage it. Leaders would be wise to followthe example of Andrew Grove, who celebrated people for spottingstrategic inflection points on the horizon. Openly admitting that“no one has a monopoly on good ideas” and asking people to sharewhat they believe is “right, wrong, or missing” from your thinkingis a badge of wisdom and courage, not a sign of weakness.

8. Promote a culture of experimentation. From the many ideas gen-erated in a diverse and open culture with high knowledge flow, itis not always clear which single idea or course of action is superior.

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Great leaders have embraced experimentation as the way to findideas that turn out to be the most effective in practice. Experienceis the best teacher. By creating pilot projects to test new ideas, lead-ers benefit from the additional knowledge brought by experience.

The wisdom of experimentation reminds me of the story ofThomas Edison performing an extraordinary number of experi-ments as he sought to develop the light bulb. It is said that as hisassistants grew frustrated with mounting failures, Edison calmedthem by sharing this perspective: “Yes, it’s true that we haveworked long and hard and haven’t found what we’re looking for.But the results of our work have been excellent. We have a list offifty thousand things we know won’t work.”7 We don’t expectleaders to experience Edison’s high rate of failure before achiev-ing success. However, to an extent that’s the attitude a leader musttake: we as an organization learn with each completed experi-ment, and we must strive to take into account the insights fromour failed experiments so that we may improve our batting aver-age on future decisions and courses of action.

9. Safeguard relational connections. It is important in all com-munications to be sensitive to the feelings of other people.Politely asking someone to do something is preferable to givingorders. Using a respectful tone is better than talking down tosomeone. Insensitive communication styles impede knowledgeflow because people will naturally react in a defensive manner.Individuals who regularly show insensitivity should be madeaware of it and coached to change their behavior. People who areinsensitive in communicating with others may be unaware of it.Although they may not like hearing it, once they see proof of thereactions on the part of their colleagues, they will begin to appre-ciate the need to change.


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OBSERVING THE CHAIN OF COMMAND

Critics might label this knowledge-flow approach of informingpeople and broadly gathering and considering input as anotherform of management by committee. It is not. I am not advocat-ing that a leader delegate decision making to a committee orgroup. I believe in seeking the best ideas and then making deci-sions that must be followed by all, even the informed dissenters.This system combines a diversity of ideas with unity of action.

Even after people have expressed their views and the decisionhas been made, there will be times when people do not agree. Theduty of dissenters is to respect authority and abide by it to the bestof their ability. A decision-making hierarchy, or chain of commandas some call it, is a system that has been proven to work extremelywell. A decision-making hierarchy defines who is responsible fordecisions and holds that person accountable for the decisions hemakes. It is responsive and efficient because it doesn’t require thetime and effort to achieve consensus from all parties when time isof the essence. Furthermore, a decision-making hierarchy concen-trates resources by requiring everybody to act on the decision thathas been made.8

The antithesis of a decision-making hierarchy is direct (orpure) democracy in which everyone gets a vote on most decisions.Direct democracy is rare because it takes time to inform everyoneand hear views. It is also problematic because majority viewpointsare not always well-informed, especially on complex issues. Fewpeople have the time to delve deeply into every issue so that theyare prepared to make knowledgeable decisions. Direct democracieshave at times produced disastrous results. The direct democracy inAthens executed one of history’s greatest teachers, Socrates, fornot believing in the Athenian gods. America’s Founding Fathers

rejected direct democracy in favor of a republic, or representativedemocracy, that places decision making in the hands of electedleaders.

One leader who wisely decided against the majority view inthe late 1970s was Donald Regan. Then head of Merrill Lynch, hedecided to launch the first cash management account. Mostpeople in Merrill Lynch at the time feared the new product wouldcheapen the firm’s image and eventually hurt business results. Theproduct development staff, however, favored it. Regan consideredthe views of both sides and decided to go forward. As it turnedout, the cash management account attracted billions of dollarsand millions of new clients to Merrill Lynch. The product becameone of the most popular innovations in financial services history.It brought many American households into the capital marketsfor the first time and provided attractive funding for economicexpansion during the final decades of the twentieth century.9

I believe the optimum solution is a decision-making hierarchythat includes broad participation and input from others, especiallyon the most important decisions facing the organization. Thispreserves the benefits of a chain of command by clearly assigningresponsibility and accountability for making decisions while bring-ing the broad experience, ideas, and opinions of others to thedecision makers’ attention. This practice gives participants a greatersense of ownership in decisions, and it enhances connection.


! Nine ways to increase and stimulate knowledge flow are asfollows:


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1. Hold ongoing knowledge-flow sessions.2. Use your intranet to make information easily accessible.3. Promote a culture of responsiveness.4. Ask people to be inquisitive.5. Encourage external awareness.6. Increase the diversity of participants.7. Seek other views and reward those with the courage to

speak up.8. Promote a culture of experimentation.9. Safeguard relational connections.

! Would your colleagues say you actively seek the views ofothers and seriously consider them? Do your colleagues seekthe views of others and seriously consider them?

! So what? When a high degree of knowledge flow exists inyour organization, you can be sure that people are moreengaged, decision makers will make better decisions, andinnovation will be greater, all of which contribute to organi-zational success.

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PPAARRTT IIIIIITHE FIRE STARTS WITH YOU:

Become a Person of Character and Connection toIgnite the Team Around You

In Part III you will learn . . .

! why connection would never occur if it weren’t for theright kind of people whose actions increase connection.

! there are three types of people who affect connection:intentional disconnectors, unintentional disconnectors,and intentional connectors.

! none of us is perfect and we all need to be intentionalabout developing the character strengths that increaseconnection.

! others can help us become aware of the blind spots in ourcharacter that decrease connection.

! we improve our character and connection with others bymaintaining high-trust relationships, undergoing peri-odic relational checkups, and knowing the stories of greatpeople who exhibited character strengths.

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MIIn the Introduction of this book I described how my personalexperiences, and in particular my wife’s bouts with cancer, influ-enced my thinking about connection and organizational culture.Other events in my life, as well as my study of culture and leader-ship, have shaped my views about the cultures I want to be a partof, the type of leaders I want to follow, and the person and leaderI aspire to become.

How about you? What experiences in your life have shapedyour beliefs about work culture and leadership? How about yourexperiences growing up, including the way your parents, siblings,teachers, and coaches treated you? Did some of them inspire youand others discourage you? How did your friends and peers affectyou? Did some of them bring out the best in you and others bringout the worst? How have the mentors or leaders you’ve had influ-enced you?

I sincerely hope that reflecting on these questions will pro-vide you with insights to guide your journey in life to places andrelationships that will bring out the very best in you personallyand professionally.

CHAPTER 13

OXYGEN FOR THE SOUL

After spending years thinking about and studying the issues ofculture, leadership, and connection, I’m convinced that they arecritical to my personal success and well-being as well as the suc-cess of any group of people that I am a part of. My family, neigh-borhood, church, children’s schools, business, town, state, nation,and the world are affected in positive and negative ways by cul-ture, leadership, and connection among people.

Unfortunately, because these issues are less tangible, it’s easyto take them for granted. Tasks and processes are out there in theopen for us to see and quantitatively measure. Connection, likeoxygen, tends to be less obvious. The clearest way we know thatconnection is missing is to experience environments where it is inabundant supply and environments where it isn’t. Only then dowe feel and appreciate the difference.

Unlike oxygen deprivation, the effects of connection depri-vation take place gradually so that our decline in performanceand well-being can be slow and steady. And therein lies thedanger. Absent an awareness of connection and an appreciationfor its positive effect on our lives, we could be gradually discon-necting ourselves and not be aware of it until the damage isdone.

The high degree of connection that my family and I experi-enced with family, friends, and health-care professionals duringthe course of Katie’s treatment for cancer woke me up to the con-nection deficiency in my life. After experiencing that degree ofconnection, I cannot return to the imbalanced life I was livingbefore. Sure, there will be times and seasons when I need to focusmore on tasks and less on relationships, but they shouldn’t beextended times that drain the life out of me. By asking yourself

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the questions in Appendix A, you too can begin to consider thestate of connection in the cultures you live in.

WHICH TYPE ARE YOU?

Each of us acts in ways that increase connection at times anddecrease it at others. In general, though, individuals tend to fallinto one of three categories when it comes to connection. We areintentional disconnectors, unintentional disconnectors, or inten-tional connectors.

Intentional disconnectors are people who infect others withbeliefs and behaviors that cause disconnection. They mock theidea that inspiring identity, human value, and knowledge flow aredesirable in and of themselves. They’re selfish and will intention-ally manipulate people to get their way. Emotionally, they livealone because they fear being vulnerable and genuine withothers. They may put on a front, a smiling mask, but on the insidethey are gradually becoming empty and depressed souls. Someintentional disconnectors have serious psychological problems,and mental health professionals would categorize them as neu-rotic. Others embrace values that are disconnecting, such asdoing whatever is necessary to get ahead, despite what is com-monly accepted as right. Believe me, I know from personal experi-ence that working with an intentional disconnector is a nightmare.That’s why we need to be aware of them and to stay out of theirdestructive paths.

Based on press accounts, it would appear that “Chainsaw Al”Dunlap, the former CEO of Sunbeam, was an intentional discon-nector. He relished intimidating people and ruling like a dictator.As the inevitable consequences of his leadership style played out,


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Sunbeam’s performance woes intensified until Dunlap was dis-missed.

Unintentional disconnectors represent the majority of people.Although they believe inspiring identity, human value, and knowl-edge flow are desirable, they lack sufficient self-knowledge to seethat their behavior reduces connection. They suffer from blindspots, destructive habits that increase disconnection. They mayorder others about as if they were children. Or perhaps they areunable to consider constructive criticism without turning theirwrath on the messenger. Or maybe they are unable to connectwith the people they lead and are unaware of it. Whatever the case,unintentional disconnectors decrease connection without realiz-ing it. For the most part, we drift toward becoming unintentionaldisconnectors, and we must exert intentional effort to realize itand change.

Take me, for example. Early in my career, my supervisor toldme that some people whom I was responsible for leading didn’tfeel I gave them adequate feedback about their performance.More specifically, they sensed I wasn’t telling them when they didsomething that I disliked. Through this feedback, I realized thatby communicating only positive, encouraging aspects of theemployees’ performance, I was not doing what was best for them.In addition, I needed to be honest with employees when they didsomething I disagreed with so that they might learn from the sit-uation and adjust their behavior. Because people sensed I wasn’tbeing completely candid with them, the connection between uswas lessened. Now that I am aware of this blind spot, I’m carefulto tell people when I have qualms about their actions.

My story isn’t unique. Many leaders become aware of theirblind spots and their behaviors that foster disconnection whenthey receive constructive feedback from a supervisor or executive

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coach. With coaching and ongoing processes put in place tomeasure their progress, many grow to become better leaders.

When we make a commitment to change and open our-selves to honest feedback about the effects of our behavior, webegin the journey to become people who reach our potentialand help others reach theirs. I can’t emphasize enough that wenaturally drift toward becoming unintentional disconnectors,and the only way to consistently increase connection is tobecome intentional about developing into the type of personwho increases it.

Over the course of my life, I have been fortunate to learnfrom people who consistently enhance connection. Some havebeen leaders in the traditional sense while others have not. I havepersonally met some while I have learned about others by study-ing their lives, reading their letters and speeches, and reviewingwhat others have written about them. I’ve recounted a few oftheir stories in this book. Still others you would not know becausethey are not in the public eye.

Intentional connectors are full of life, a sense of purpose, andgenuine joy compared to most people you meet. Inevitably, theyare wise about themselves and about life. They increase connec-tion in the cultures of which they are a part because theyembody inspiring identity, human value, and knowledge flow.They combine a steadfast dedication to reaching performanceexcellence and accomplishing their mission while nurturing aculture that creates connection.

Although there is much to admire in intentional connec-tors, that doesn’t mean they are perfect. No one is. And thatleads me to a major point that we’ll discuss in the followingchapter.


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! Which of the three types of people who affect connection areyou: an intentional disconnector, unintentional disconnec-tor, or intentional connector?

! Most of us are unintentional disconnectors and are unawarethat our actions are inconsistent with our values.

! Take a moment and identify one or more intentional con-nectors in your life. What is it about them that you wouldlike to emulate?

! So what? We all naturally drift toward becoming unintentionaldisconnectors. We must exert intentional effort to develop thehabits that increase connection.

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BBecoming an intentional connector requires a personal journey.No one is perfect. Even great leaders who have made significantcontributions stumble at times. FDR, one of my personal heroes,failed to get behind federal anti-lynching legislation, internedinnocent Japanese-Americans during World War II, and had anaffair that left his wife, Eleanor, emotionally scarred for life. In1939, FDR, bowing to anti-Semitism in the USA, refused to allowentry of the SS St. Louis, and nearly all of its 937 Jewish passen-gers died in concentration camps when the ship, unable to find asafe haven, returned to Europe. Even though FDR was responsiblefor these actions, we can still admire him for his courage and opti-mism in facing polio and guiding America through the Depressionand World War II.

THE BATTLE WITHIN

Each of us faces an internal conflict between doing what is right andwhat is wrong. In the Bible, the apostle Paul wrote that he wanted

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to do what was right though often another part of him yearned todo otherwise. Sigmund Freud wrote of the ongoing conflict insideus between our desires and our conscience. Responding to thequery in the Times (London): “What is wrong with the world?”British author G. K. Chesterton simply replied: “Dear Sir, I am.”1

We all can relate to an inner battle. On the one hand, we wantto eat that dessert, but on the other hand, we don’t. We want to tellthe person questioning our viewpoint that he’s nuts, yet we knowbetter because we might learn something from him, or we mightdamage our relationship. We don’t want to take the time to get toknow some of the people we work with, yet we know we should.

In the movie Crash, which won best picture at the 2005Academy Awards, we see people over the course of a thirty-six-hour period at their worst and at their best. In one scene, PoliceOfficer Ryan, played by actor Matt Dillon, abuses his power whileallegedly frisking a woman for concealed weapons. Later in a sepa-rate incident, he courageously risks his life to pull the same womanout of a car moments before it explodes. Although Officer Ryan’sacts are extreme, like him, we also commit some acts that are rightand others that are wrong. It’s just a matter of degree. Put in situa-tions where constraints on our behavior don’t exist, we might com-mit acts that we find difficult to imagine today.

If we are honest with ourselves, we know that we are capable ofright and wrong, even good and evil. The personality that is hard-wired in us at birth, the habits we develop over a lifetime, and theculture we live in influence our behavior and whether we act in a waythat is right or wrong. For example, people are more likely to shareinformation with one another if they have trusting temperaments,they habitually share information with others, and they work incultures where others routinely share information.

This is why character development is so important. Character


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helps us to do the right thing even when internal and externalpressures make us want to do otherwise. Martin Luther King Jr.,Nelson Mandela, Harriet Beecher Stowe, William Wilberforce,Winston Churchill, and Mahatma Gandhi are just a few notableleaders who stood against evil despite tremendous pressure tomaintain the status quo. Their character strengths of courage,compassion, and justice gave them a clear understanding of whatwas wrong and the determination to do what was right.

It’s no different in an organization. People who are mostlikely to increase inspiring identity, human value, and knowledgeflow in a dog-eat-dog culture do so because they have characterstrengths that guide them to do what is right. Character strengthsprovide us a moral compass to know what is right and the desireto do what is right. Without character strengths to guide us, weare more susceptible to going with the flow of our temperaments,our habits, and our current culture.

CHARACTER AND CONNECTION

To see how certain character strengths relate to the elements in aconnection culture, consider some leaders highlighted in earlierchapters and how their character strengths led to actions thatimproved connection.

Purpose, optimism, and vitality increase inspiring identity. SteveJobs’s desire to find a meaningful purpose for Apple Computer andhis hard work to achieve it reflect these character strengths. The samecould be said for Richard Feynman’s desire to tell engineers the rea-son for their work on the Manhattan Project.

Kindness and a love of people increase human value. DavidNeeleman at jetBlue airlines models these character strengthswhen he takes time to meet with 95 percent of jetBlue’s new crew


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members. Howard Schultz at Starbucks shows his concern bymaking health-care insurance and stock options available to mostof Starbucks’s employees, many of whom work part time.

Humility, open-mindedness, and curiosity increase knowledgeflow. A. G. Lafley’s continuous seeking of opinions and ideas fromthe people at Procter & Gamble is a reflection of these characterstrengths. George Washington also had these character strengths:he was known as a listener who considered others’ views.

When the beliefs and behaviors of people in an organizationlive up to the standards of good character I just mentioned, it cre-ates the inspiring identity, human value, knowledge flow, and ulti-mately, the connection necessary to become a great organization.

The Character Connection Thrive Chain diagram showsclusters of character strengths that specifically link to the ele-ments in a connection culture.

Research is beginning to confirm that organizations thatadvance character strengths experience superior performance.According to a 2004 Aspen Institute and Booz Allen Hamilton studyof corporate behavior, companies that attained superior finan-cial results were far more likely to have written value statements


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promoting ethical behavior/integrity, commitment to employees,honesty and openness, and a drive to succeed (what might also becalled vitality or work ethic).2

Once we accept that character strengths are desirable, wemust ask ourselves how to develop them in ourselves and in thepeople we are responsible for. There are several ways to developcharacter strengths that will help individuals become intentionalconnectors and improve connection in organizations. Let’s take alook at each of them in the next chapter.


! Each of us faces an internal struggle between doing what isright and what is wrong.

! By developing character strengths, we are better able to recog-nize what is right and have a greater desire to do what is right.

! A person who has good character will increase connection.The Character Connection Thrive Chain illustrates howspecific clusters of character strengths act to increase theelements that, in turn, increase connection.

! So what? To increase connection among a group of peoplerequires that group members have the character strengths—or beliefs and behaviors—that increase connection. In fact, it’sessential if we hope to meet our potential and that of ourorganizations.


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Many people today recognize the importance of becoming moreintentional about developing character. A 1999 survey conducted byPublic Agenda, a nonprofit, bipartisan group, found that Americanadults ranked “not learning values” as the most significant problemfacing young people today.1 More schools adopted character-build-ing programs after President Bill Clinton in 1996 called for anincrease in character education, and President George W. Bushtripled the federal budget for such activities.2

Understanding and embracing character strengths providea mental map to guide our behavior. A mental map is a beliefpattern that resides in one’s mind. Our minds are filled with avariety of mental maps, such as one about what is required to behealthy, one about how automobiles work, and one about howthe solar system is structured. A mental map about characterstrengths gives us a standard that we will aspire to achieve.

In recent years, neuroscientists discovered scientific evidencesupporting the existence of mental maps. At the moment whenwe have an insight that constructs a mental map, scientists haveobserved the occurrence of high-frequency gamma waves and an

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increase in adrenaline that gives us a feeling of pleasure and boostsour energy level. They believe that these measurable occurrencesare evidence that the brain is forming a neural connection to recordand help us remember our newly acquired belief.3

In addition to the evidence that supports the formation ofmental maps in our brains, there is compelling evidence that a levelof awareness of character strengths exists in our brains at birth.This has traditionally been referred to as our “conscience.” The evi-dence comes from the work of a group of leading psychologist-scholars who have identified twenty-four character strengths thathave been universally recognized by moral philosophers and reli-gious thinkers throughout history. These character strengthsinclude creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness, love of learning,perspective, bravery, persistence, integrity, vitality, love, kindness,social intelligence, citizenship, fairness, leadership, forgiveness andmercy, humility/modesty, prudence, self-regulation, appreciationof beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humor, and spirituality.4

The character strengths are seen across tribes and nations andacross centuries. They are found in Buddhism, Christianity,Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Taoism. Data frommore than thirty nations support their existence. When Universityof Illinois professor Ed Diener studied isolated tribes such as theMasai in Africa and the Inuit in Greenland, he concluded theyreadily recognized the twenty-four character strengths.5

This group of psychologist-scholars believes that the prac-tice of these character strengths improves mental and physicalhealth, and they have begun a movement—called positive psy-chology—to encourage people to embrace and practice them.Led by Martin Seligman, the former president of the AmericanPsychology Association and a professor of psychology at the

University of Pennsylvania, their early work that identifies the char-acter strengths was published in 2004 by the American PsychologyAssociation in Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook andClassification.

Character strengths should be encouraged in organizationstoo. Employees who exhibit selfless sacrifices for the sake of theteam, honesty, a strong work ethic, and other character strengthsthat benefit the organization should be celebrated and rewarded.

HOW TO DEVELOP THE CHARACTER STRENGTHS OF

INTENTIONAL CONNECTORS

The question of how to develop character strengths has been con-sidered since antiquity. The following practices improve charac-ter and increase connection:

1. Develop habits that reflect character strengths. To becomeintentional connectors, individuals need to develop the habits thatreflect character strengths. Many intentional connectors exhibitintentionality and discipline to develop character strengths. CoachJohn Wooden’s Pyramid of Success was comprised of traditionalcharacter strengths. So were the Rules of Civility that influencedGeorge Washington. In The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin,the statesman and inventor described the character strengths heaspired to have and his efforts to improve upon one virtue eachweek.6 He wrote that good behavior was difficult to achieve, givenour inclination to do otherwise. The only remedy was to concen-trate on character development and, through repetition, build thehabits of doing what is right.

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Abraham Lincoln developed an understanding of characterfrom reading the Bible, Shakespeare, biographies of people headmired (including Washington and Franklin), and the ancientclassics. Lincoln’s strong sense of justice gave him the backbone asa twenty-three-year old army private to protect an innocentNative American who wandered into a camp that Lincoln com-manded during the Blackhawk War. Lincoln stood between theinnocent man and the soldiers who wanted to kill him until theybacked down. Lincoln’s strong moral compass gave him the back-bone to emancipate slaves and resist the Confederate secessionduring the Civil War. In Lincoln’s Virtues, author and historianWilliam Lee Miller explains that Lincoln’s intentionality in build-ing character gave him the “moral confidence” to do what wasright despite the overwhelming pressure he faced at times not to.7

2. Build high-trust relationships with people who want to developgood character. We need to build in checks and balances to protectus from self-deception, the blind spots that I referred to earlier. Therecognition that we all have blind spots led French politicalphilosopher Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu,to advocate checks and balances in the governance of nations.Montesquieu’s 1748 masterpiece, The Spirit of the Laws, influencedAmerica’s founders to adopt a political system with checks andbalances.8

Good advisors who care enough to give us honest feedbackare one means to help us see our blind spots. During her morethan four-decade reign, Queen Elizabeth I had in Sir William Cecila first-rate counselor. Cecil was not only hardworking and stead-fastly dedicated to the queen; he was also humane and wise.Although Queen Elizabeth had other advisors, she trusted nonemore than Cecil. Even after Cecil’s years of hard work began to


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take their toll on him, the queen continued to rely on his judg-ment to help her think through matters.9 Unlike Queen Elizabeth,Frederick the Great (who will be discussed later on) was utterlyalone. He trusted no one. Perhaps this lack of connection and hisemotional isolation played a role in Frederick’s mental and physi-cal decline.10 Steve Reinemund, chairman of PepsiCo Corporation,is a more recent example of a leader who has stated publicly thathe has a group of close friends with whom he meets regularly, andthey encourage and challenge him in his responsibilities as aspouse, father, and leader.11

Spending time with friends who are intentional connectorsgives me the encouragement I need to develop good character.Because each one of us strives to improve his character, we helpone another. We meet regularly for coffee to talk about what’sgoing on in our lives, including our children, our relationshipswith our spouses, and our work. Talking through importantissues with these friends helps me see new perspectives andinspires me to do what’s right.

It’s no coincidence that peer encouragement is a key elementin 12-step programs such as Weight Watchers and AlcoholicsAnonymous.12 These programs have been very effective in helpingpeople break bad habits. Peer encouragement helps people developgood habits too.

3. Undertake periodic checkups. Another, more formal way tobecome aware of blind spots is a 360-degree performance assess-ment. The review incorporates the feedback of people we report toand work alongside along with feedback from those individualswho report to us. It is an invaluable practice to gauge our strengthsand development needs and to identify any blind spots. Critical tothe effectiveness of this process is honest feedback. If people game


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the system because they fear candid feedback will be met withretaliation, it will become a complete waste of time. The role of theprimary evaluator (the person who summarizes and communi-cates the results) is especially important since he can work withthose providing feedback to identify issues and communicate themin a way that will preserve their anonymity. For the more senior-ranking members of an organization, it may be advisable to bringin outside advisors to conduct the assessments. Annual 360-degreereviews are ideal although greater frequency will be necessary if anindividual’s development needs require rapid improvement.

4. Study and celebrate the character of intentional connectors.During the spring of 2002, I attended a conference in Washington,D.C., that featured David McCullough, one of my favorite histori-ans. In his speech about John Adams, McCullough pleaded with theaudience to study history because it is so relevant to our lives today.

In the past I rarely read about history. Inspired byMcCullough’s speech, however, I decided to read his best-sellingbook John Adams. To my surprise, I couldn’t put it down. Theaccounts of Adams’s life, his courage and determination, and hisstruggles made me think about my life. Next, I read the biogra-phies of many of America’s other founders. Then I began readingabout a wide range of people I admired, including leaders ofnations, armies, businesses, and sports teams, and thought leaderssuch as Harriett Beecher Stowe and Mahatma Gandhi. Their lifestories made me more determined to develop my character.

In the past, character was often taught through the trans-mission of oral and written stories. Public libraries are filledwith books that teach us about character and encourage us inour character development. Today they are available in compactdisc and downloadable file format for the person who prefers


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listening over reading.13 Make it a point to learn about the sto-ries of great men and women of the past and present. You won’tbe disappointed.

5. Select, measure, and promote leaders who have characterstrengths and who connect. Clearly this is something you willaspire to. Sometimes, however, your best performers are less thansensitive to others, and they expect special treatment because theyknow they are talented in some respects. When the negative effectof disconnection on the rest of the team is taken into considera-tion, it is not worth applying different standards to these leaders.The character strengths or weaknesses of leaders often rippleacross an association of people to good or ill effect. A leader’scharacter has a disproportionate impact because people look toleaders for guidance. That’s why organizations would do well toestablish processes that select people, especially leaders, withcharacter strengths. Tests that assess personality attributes areuseful for this purpose and also for identifying leaders who wouldbenefit from coaching. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company admin-isters a personality assessment to potential employees. Years ofexperience have taught the company which personality attributesare present in their best employees.

In addition to the 360-degree performance assessment, aperiodic measurement of the degree of connection between lead-ers and their direct reports is important. An employee engage-ment survey that indicates engagement and connection havedeclined provides an early warning system that intervention maybe required, including coaching or training. Employee engage-ment surveys are typically excellent for this purpose. Employeesatisfaction surveys, however, are generally less effective becausethey fail to measure emotional connection.


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6. Consider insights and solutions that emerge from social net-work analysis. Another useful tool to identify connection (andultimately character) issues is a social network analysis. Thisframework attempts to understand the flow of informationthroughout an organization by surveying members about whomthey communicate with and what they communicate about. Theresults are then aggregated and mapped to pinpoint key patternsand participants. Karen Stephenson, a leading thinker in the field,categorizes information flows into six networks: the work net-work, the social network, the innovation network, the expertknowledge network, the career guidance or strategic network,and the learning network. Within each network, Stephensondescribes people as “hubs,” “pulsetakers,” and “gatekeepers.”

Social network analysis identifies people who are key dissem-inators of knowledge and thus more valuable to the organization.Equally important, it detects people who are bottlenecks to theflow of information, thus reducing organizational effectiveness.

Social network analysis has also been used to design workspaces that maximize the dissemination of knowledge. For example,a person who serves as a hub and requires input from a broad net-work can be stationed near an area where people regularly congre-gate, such as a break area. People whose work is less social in naturecan be situated in areas where fewer people congregate. By under-standing the communication flows and physically locating peoplein areas to optimize connection where it is most needed, the organ-ization will increase the likelihood that connection will occur andhave a favorable impact on the organization.14

7. Be careful not to develop a self-righteous culture. The dangerof focusing on character is that it can create a culture of legalismand self-righteousness. Mark Twain alluded to this when he

described some people as “good in the worst sense of the word.”Any culture that encourages people to develop character must beon guard to assure that the character strengths of forgiveness,mercy, and humility are not lost in the desire to improve otheraspects of character. Character strengths are goals for us to aspireto achieve. In reality, however, we all will fail periodically to liveup to our character aspirations.

Forgiveness, mercy, and compassion should also be extendedto those who lapse into moments of self-righteousness. It canhappen to the best of us. The problem arises when a leader con-sistently demonstrates that he lacks the self-knowledge that pro-duces compassion and empathy for others. It is this type ofhabitually self-righteous leader who should not be in a positionof leadership.

Now that we have more fully explored the three elements ofa connection culture—inspiring identity, human value, andknowledge flow—and the character strengths that support them,let’s learn about twenty leaders and see how they increased con-nection and fired up people.


! Leading psychologist-scholars believe that individuals arementally and physically healthier when they exhibit behaviorthat is consistent with twenty-four universally recognizedcharacter strengths.

! We must all develop habits that reflect character strengthsand increase connection with others.

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! We need high-trust relationships to help us see our blindspots and encourage us to develop our character.

! We also need periodic checkups, such as 360-degree per-formance reviews, to identify our blind spots.

! Learning the stories of intentional connectors encourages usto develop our own character.

! Organizations should select, measure, and promote leaderswho have character strengths and who connect with others.

! Social network analysis can be a useful tool to identify informa-tion flows and the people who are integral to maintaining con-nections, and to design work spaces to optimize connection.

! Be on guard not to develop a self-righteous culture. Instead,be certain that your culture values the character strengths offorgiveness, mercy, and humility.

! So what? To develop and maintain character strengths is wellworth the effort. You need to develop your character and helpthose for whom you are responsible to develop their character.With 360-degree performance assessments, employee engage-ment surveys, and social network analysis you can identifypeople who increase and decrease connection and understandhow work space might be designed to encourage connection.


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PPAARRTT IIVVLEARN FROM TWENTY GREAT LEADERS

OVER TWENTY DAYS

In Part IV you will learn about twenty great leaders from variousfields who fired up people by increasing connection. In someexamples you will see a leader who relied primarily on one ele-ment of a connection culture to increase connection, whereas inother examples you will see a leader who relied on all three ele-ments. Following each example, you will find a summary of somepractices that increased connection as well as a question or twothat ask you to consider how you might apply their practices inyour organization.

The stories are arranged so that you can read one each busi-ness day and complete all of them over the course of one month.Or you can take them at a pace that works best for you. In thespirit of knowledge flow, you might find it helpful to meet withother readers to discuss the stories and compare your answersabout how to apply the practices illustrated. Regardless of yourapproach, I hope you reflect on how the practices of these leadersmight apply to your life.

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WEEK 1

DAY 1: FRENCH HERO OF THE

AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Visiting historical sites in the state of Virginia, you might be sur-prised to see recurring tributes to a Frenchman whose name andstory remain unknown to most Americans today. At Monticello,Thomas Jefferson’s hilltop home near Charlottesville, you’ll find aportrait and sculpted bust of the Frenchman. At Mount Vernon,George Washington’s home on the Potomac River, you’ll learn thatWashington thought of him as a son, and you will find the key tothe Bastille on display, sent by the Frenchman to Washington afterhe ordered the notorious Paris prison torn down during the FrenchRevolution. Perhaps most surprising of all, in the Hall of Presidentsbeneath the rotunda of the Virginia capitol where a statue of GeorgeWashington and busts of the other seven Virginia-born presidentsreside, you’ll find a bust of the Frenchman who was neither a pres-ident nor born in Virginia.

Across America hundreds of landmarks are named after him.Every year on Independence Day, the American ambassador toFrance travels to his gravesite in Paris to replace the Americanflag that flies over it. The gravesite is unusual in France for theFrenchman’s casket and that of his wife lie beneath soil takenfrom Bunker Hill outside Boston, Massachusetts, the site of oneof the first battles in the Revolutionary War.

As you might guess, this Frenchman was far from ordinary.His name is Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Gilbert du Motier de LaFayette, more commonly known as the Marquis de Lafayette.

Lafayette was one of the wealthiest young men in France. Hisearly life was not an easy one. His father, a colonel of grenadiers,was killed in battle when Lafayette was two years old, and hismother and grandfather died when he was twelve. By fourteenhe had joined the Royal Army, and at sixteen he married Marie-Adrienne-Françoise de Noailles, a wealthy relative of the Frenchking.

In his late teens Lafayette became enamored with the causeof American independence. At a dinner he attended, Lafayette heardthe Duke of Gloucester, a brother of England’s King George III,share his strong opposition to the English treatment of Americancolonists. It seems from that point, Lafayette developed a consum-ing desire to see the American colonists achieve their independence.

At nineteen Lafayette purchased a ship, named it the Victoire,and persuaded several French army officers to join him in helpingthe Americans. After he arrived in America, Lafayette approachedJohn Hancock, head of the Continental Congress, and volunteeredhis services. In a letter to Hancock, Lafayette, like the signers of theDeclaration of Independence, pledged his “life, his fortune, and hissacred honor” to American independence. Lafayette was inspiredby America’s cause, and his inspiration led him to make a commit-ment to do everything he possibly could to achieve it.

Lafayette was commissioned as a major general and eventu-ally became an aide-de-camp to George Washington. HistorianArthur M. Schlesinger Jr. noted that Lafayette “distinguishedhimself militarily . . . was an essential actor in the successful planto trap the British Army under General Cornwallis at Yorktown. . . [and became] an invaluable ally of the American minister toFrance, Thomas Jefferson.”

Perhaps most important, when Lafayette went back to Franceto secure resources for the Americans, he returned with an army

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of four thousand soldiers and a fleet of ships commanded by Countde Rochambeau. Before Lafayette’s return, the American effort hadbeen losing steam after suffering several defeats. Lafayette’s pres-ence, his infectious optimism, and the resources he brought revital-ized the American effort.

Lafayette had a profound effect on the American military’sculture during the Revolutionary War. He increased inspiringidentity. He encouraged everyone around him by reiteratinghow important the war was for the future of humankind. Laterin life he would comment: “To have participated in the toils andperils of the unspotted struggle for independence . . . the foun-dation of the American era of a new social order . . . has beenthe pride, the encouragement, the support of [my] long andeventful life.”

Lafayette increased human value in many ways. He spentconsiderable personal wealth to purchase shoes and clothes forthe men in his command. Although he could afford to buy ahouse to stay warm, he chose to remain with the soldiers at ValleyForge during the freezing winter of 1778. He fought alongside theinfantrymen, even dismounting his horse if necessary to be closerto them. Lafayette treated soldiers with respect.

Lafayette increased knowledge flow by seeking the opinionsof his soldiers, asking them what worked and what didn’t work inthe battles they had fought. He later claimed that the commonsoldiers were his greatest teachers. The soldiers were so fond ofLafayette that they referred to him as “Our Marquis.”

The unlikely story of the French aristocrat fighting with dedi-cation for their behalf endeared Lafayette to Americans every-where. Author Harlow Giles Unger described it well when he said,“[Lafayette] fled from incomparable luxury . . . to wade throughthe South Carolina swamps, freeze at Valley Forge, and ride


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through the stifling summer heat of Virginia—as an unpaid vol-unteer, fighting and bleeding for liberty, in a land not his own, fora people not his own.”1

For the Marquis de Lafayette’s extraordinary commitmentto America’s cause, America passed a law on January 23, 2002,posthumously bestowing him with honorary citizenship. Onlyfive other individuals in America’s history have been honored inthis way.

APPLICATION

Lafayette increased inspiring identity by reminding people ofthe importance of the Revolutionary War to the future ofhumankind. He increased human value by fighting beside the sol-diers he commanded and suffering alongside them during thewinter at Valley Forge. Lafayette increased knowledge flow byseeking the opinions of soldiers and considering their ideas. Ifyou had been a soldier under Lafayette’s command, which ofthese actions would have resonated with you the most? How canyou make them resonate with your colleagues?

DAY 2: RESTORING THE GLORY

Anne Mulcahy, after being appointed the CEO of Xerox and bring-ing herself up to speed on the company’s situation, shocked WallStreet by announcing Xerox’s business model was unsustainable.Her remark caused Xerox stock to drop 26 percent the following day.

Despite her realization that Xerox had serious problems, sheknew from her twenty-seven years at the firm that it could be

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revived. Although Xerox’s outside legal and financial advisorsrecommended that the firm file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy pro-tection, Mulcahy refused to because she knew it would discour-age Xerox employees and make a turnaround even more difficult.She was determined to lead Xerox back to health. One col-league observed that her passion and work ethic were driven byher mission to save Xerox. To that effect, Mulcahy once said, “Ifthis place is going to fail, it’s not going to be because AnneMulcahy slept.”

Mulcahy’s words and deeds effectively created an inspiringidentity for Xerox that might be described as “restoring the glory.”Her optimism and energy persuaded others that it could be done.And what a story it would be to revitalize a once great company.Who wouldn’t want to play a part in that?

Another element in the Xerox culture created by Mulcahywas human value. Her comments showed she cared about thepeople she was responsible for leading. In a remarkably candidinterview with Fortune’s Betsy Morris in 2003, Mulcahy statedshe would wake up some nights thinking about what would hap-pen to the 96,000 employees who were counting on her if shefailed to save the firm. And when, to keep Xerox afloat she had toshut down a business she had created and lay off many of thepeople she hired, Mulcahy went to meet them face-to-face. Shetold them she was sorry, that it had to be done to save the com-pany, and that it wasn’t their fault. Mulcahy made the toughdecision and carried it out in a way that preserved the dignity ofthe people involved.

She also increased knowledge flow at Xerox. Mulcahy visitedwith fifty CEOs of client companies and boosted employeemorale by logging one hundred thousand miles to visit Xeroxemployees in her first year. She encouraged people to tell her the


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truth, and she listened to them too. According to one of her col-leagues, she “told us everything, stuff we didn’t want to know . . .[like how close we were to running out of cash].” Another col-league remarked, “Part of her DNA is to tell you the good, thebad, and the ugly.”

She asked them to be committed to the turnaround: “Saveevery dollar as if it were your own.” And she rewarded those whoremained at Xerox by refusing to eliminate raises and by extend-ing small perks such as time off from work on their birthdays. Sheallowed Xerox’s top hundred executives to have greater access toher, and she involved them in major decisions. As a result, ninety-five of them remained with Xerox throughout the turnaround.

One observer noted,“She was leading by example. Everyone atXerox knew she was working hard and that she was working hardfor them.” The press accounts of Anne Mulcahy’s heroic effortshad to encourage her colleagues. Fortune reported that she hadn’thad a weekend off in two years, frequently visited three cities aday, carried her own luggage on flights, and did more cooking onthe Xerox corporate jet than she had at her own home. Duringthis critical stage to Xerox’s survival and for a season in her life,Mulcahy was clearly making a personal sacrifice for the sake ofthe mission and her Xerox colleagues.

Mulcahy’s optimism and hard work paid off. When she wasnamed Xerox’s CEO in May 2000, the firm was on the verge ofbankruptcy and its stock had dropped from $63.69 a share to$4.43. After she took charge, Xerox employees rallied to supporther. Thanks to leadership that strengthened connection amongthe people at Xerox, together they restored the company to prof-itability and positioned it for future growth, leading observerslike Xerox board member and former CEO of Time Warner NickNicholas to proclaim, “The story here is a minor miracle.”1

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APPLICATION

Anne Mulcahy increased inspiring identity by holding out a visionof Xerox as a turnaround story and working hard to achieve it. Sheincreased human value by being there with employees to consolethem when they lost their jobs. She increased knowledge flow bymeeting with employees worldwide and hearing their ideas andconcerns. If you were leading a turnaround situation, which of themeans that Anne Mulcahy used to increase connection would youfocus on, and why?

DAY 3: THE SHOT HEARD AROUND THE WORLD

When the Chicago Bulls NBA team is mentioned, chances are, thefirst person you think of is Michael Jordan. What sports fan wasn’tinspired by arguably the game’s greatest player ever? His last-secondjump shots, airborne dunks, and tenacious defensive coverage madehim a crowd-pleasing favorite.

When Michael Jordan began playing in the NBA, he epito-mized excellence as an individual contributor. His superhumanfeats during his first five seasons, however, were not enough tomake champions out of the Bulls. Not until Phil Jackson becamehead coach and began to influence the young superstar did theBulls finally make it to the big game.

Jackson helped Jordan see the need to go beyond being a starand become what Jackson called a player “who surrenders theme for the we.” In the context of the Bulls this meant every indi-vidual playing as a team within the triangle offense that Jacksontaught.

Until that time Jordan felt he needed to win games on his


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own because he didn’t have confidence that his teammates wouldperform in the clutch. But a one-man show, even if it was a showput on by one of the game’s greatest players, was never going tobe enough to get the Bulls to the top. Furthermore, Jordan spentlittle time with his teammates and instead hung out with hisentourage that followed him around on the road. Jordan’s self-reliance and social separation from his teammates made themfeel like supporting actors on the Michael Jordan show.

Phil Jackson could see the problem. So he went to Jordan andconvinced him that the team needed his leadership, which wouldrequire his presence and effort to get to know his teammates per-sonally. Having Jordan present with the team would increasehuman value in the Bulls’s culture. Jordan’s presence and the trusthe would put in his teammates would show he valued them asbasketball players and as people.

Convinced that Jackson was right, Jordan transformed him-self into a force for connection. He began spending more timewith his teammates on and off the court. Writing about the expe-rience in his book Sacred Hoops, Phil Jackson observed: “Jordan’spresence [affected] the psyche of the team . . . he challenged every-one to step up . . . before practice I often found him working one-on-one with young players.”

Connection was increased as Phil Jackson increased knowledgeflow. His philosophy is that “I like everyone to feel that they have aseat at the table.” Jackson knows that keeping people informed andlistening to their viewpoints keeps them feeling connected.

The Bulls’s inspiring identity was increased as Jordan andJackson worked together to convince the other Bulls players thatthey were a team that deserved the world championship. Jordanand Scottie Pippen pushed the team to reach a new level of phys-ical conditioning and preparation, which reinforced the players’


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beliefs that no team worked as hard or deserved a world champi-onship more than they did.

Connection was also a part of the Bulls’s identity. Jacksonencouraged his members’ commitment to the team by quoting apassage from Rudyard Kipling’s The Second Jungle Book. Thequote describes the law of the jungle: “. . . the strength of the packis the Wolf. And the strength of the Wolf is the pack.”

Jackson’s Chicago Bulls team accepted his philosophy ofteamwork as a path to basketball greatness. As connection amongthe team improved, the Bulls’s success rose to a new level. Begin-ning in 1991 when the Bulls won their first world championship,Jordan’s teammates sometimes made dramatic contributions tothe games. In the past, when the score was close at the end of agame, Jordan always wanted the ball. After Jackson worked withJordan, he trusted his teammates to make the big play during sev-eral pivotal situations.

One such instance occurred in game six of the 1993championship when the Bulls played the Phoenix Suns. Near theend of the game, down by a score of 98 to 96, the Bulls camedowncourt, and instead of passing the ball to Jordan, the Bulls gotthe ball to John Paxson, who shot and scored a three-point jumperjust before the buzzer went off to win the game. The press hailedit as “the shot heard around the world.” The following year in thefinal championship game against the Utah Jazz, Jordan passed theball to his teammate Steve Kerr who hit a jump shot just before thebuzzer to clinch another championship for the Bulls. Over thecourse of eight years, the Chicago Bulls won an astounding sixworld championship titles.

Michael Jordan went on to become a basketball legend for hisperformance as a player and as a part of a basketball dynasty. Atthe time of his departure from coaching the Los Angeles Lakers in

2004, Phil Jackson had a career record of 832 wins and 316 losses(a .725 winning percentage), making him the coach with the bestwinning percentage in NBA history. Between coaching the Bullsand the Lakers, Jackson won nine NBA championships.1

One key to Phil Jackson’s success was that he challenged hisplayers to become a team by putting the team first. MichaelJordan responded by humbly making a personal commitmentto his team and teammates rather than continuing as a one-manshow to the detriment of his team’s performance. The resultingconnection among the team and the performance that it madepossible was the catalyst that transformed Jordan from being agreat player into becoming a basketball legend. Ironically, theselfishness of some of Jackson’s players on the Lakers team kepthim from developing another basketball dynasty in Los Angelesduring his first stint as head coach there. Now that Jackson hasreturned to the Lakers, his players are beginning to see thelight. It may be that a second dynasty is in the making for PhilJackson.

APPLICATION

Michael Jordan increased inspiring identity by sharing his beliefwith his teammates that the Bulls could become world championsand by personally working hard to achieve it. He increased humanvalue by getting to know his teammates and taking the time tomentor younger players. Coach Phil Jackson increased knowledgeflow by letting everyone know they had a seat at the table to sharehis ideas. Have you played on a team, or can you think of anotherteam, that came together like the Bulls did? Is there someone inyour organization that you could encourage or mentor?

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DAY 4: SOLDIER OF PEACE

George C. Marshall was one of the most extraordinary individualsto have lived during the twentieth century. Born in Uniontown,Pennsylvania, in 1880 and trained at the Virginia Military Institute,Marshall was a career military man who will forever be remem-bered for his efforts to promote peace and bring about a strongconnection between America and Western Europe.

Reading the comments of Marshall’s many admirers is awe-inspiring. Winston Churchill called Marshall “the true organizerof victory” for his efforts during World War II as army chief ofstaff for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The British chiefsof staff sent Marshall a message that read, in part, “Your namewill be honoured among those of the greatest soldiers of yourown or any other country . . . Always you have honoured us byyour frankness, charmed us by your courtesy, and inspired us byyour singleness of purpose and selfless devotion to our commoncause.” President Harry S Truman said Marshall was “the greatestmilitary man this country has ever produced—or any othercountry for that matter . . . the more I see and talk with him, themore certain I am he is the great one of the age.” Time magazinenamed him Man of the Year twice.

As army chief of staff during World War II, Marshall wascredited for building America’s underprepared military infra-structure so that it would be in a position to win the war. AfterMarshall recognized that America was falling seriously behindGermany in military preparedness, though it would be anotherthree years before America was attacked, he worked incessantlyto revitalize American military strength. The energy and effortMarshall put into his work led Senator Henry Stimson to say, “Ihave never seen a task of such magnitude performed by a man.”


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Throughout his remarkable career, Marshall’s actionsencouraged connection among people. He increased humanvalue in several ways. When FDR put the Civilian ConservationCorps during the Depression under Marshall’s command, hedeveloped an “absorbing interest” in helping the young men byeducating them and taking care of their health-care needs.According to Marshall’s biographer, he “kept his men intelligentlyoccupied . . . giving them tasks that would awaken their interests.”Married soldiers and their families suffered real economic hard-ship during the Depression so Marshall started a program thatallowed every military family to pay only fifteen cents a meal. Toavoid the perception that the program was a “condescendingcharity,” he and Mrs. Marshall ate the meals too.

One of the best-known examples of Marshall’s passion forhuman value was celebrated in the movie Saving Private Ryanthat starred actor Tom Hanks. After learning that James Ryan’smother had lost three of her four sons in battle, Marshall sent asquad to France specifically to retrieve Private Ryan and returnhim to America and to his mother.

Perhaps the greatest example of Marshall’s increasing humanvalue came after World War II when President Truman askedMarshall to become secretary of state. He accepted the role becausehe envisioned the opportunity to remove the causes that led to war.For two years he set about to persuade Congress and the Americanpeople of the need to provide assistance to the war-torn economiesof Europe where famine and disease were rapidly spreading. Thatwas no easy task, considering the human inclination to avenge for-mer enemies rather than help them. To his credit, Marshall knewthat ignoring human suffering was wrong and would lead to bitterresentment and potentially to a future war. During a commence-ment speech at Harvard, General Marshall told the world: “Our

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policy is directed not against any country or doctrine but againsthunger, desperation, and chaos.” Marshall redirected his tirelessefforts from waging a war to helping the very nations he had foughtagainst. The Marshall Plan, as the reconstruction effort becameknown, was an overwhelming success. You can still visit Europeantowns where merchants sell postcards that show the destructionfollowing World War II, in stark contrast to the beauty of thesesame towns today.

For his humanitarian actions, he was the first career soldierto be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. The British were somoved by the compassion and efforts of Marshall that when heentered Westminster Cathedral to attend Queen Elizabeth II’scoronation and people in attendance spotted him, they stood inhis honor.

George Marshall also increased knowledge flow in cultures byspeaking truth to those in power. During World War I in France,General John “Blackjack” Pershing once criticized then MajorMarshall’s division commander in front of his subordinates over amixup that was actually the fault of Pershing’s office. As Pershingtried to walk away, Marshall refused to let him leave, even grabbinghis arm to stop him, until Pershing heard the truth. The officerspresent thought Marshall’s behavior would surely end his career.To Pershing’s credit, however, he appreciated Marshall’s candor andcourage. Eventually, Pershing promoted Marshall to colonel, mak-ing him a part of his personal staff, and later promoted him tobecome his personal aide.

Another incident shows Marshall’s commitment to opennessand honesty. Years later when Marshall was attending his first con-ference with FDR, the president asked for his opinion on a subjectthat everyone else in the room had already agreed on. To the pres-ident’s surprise, Marshall opined, “I’m sorry, Mr. President, I don’t


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agree with you at all.” Somewhat surprised, FDR abruptly endedthe meeting. Afterward, Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthauapproached Marshall and said, “Well, it’s been nice knowingyou.” As it turned out, FDR appreciated Marshall’s integrity andhis willingness to say what he really believed. A little over a yearlater, FDR made Marshall the army chief of staff reporting directlyto him.

George Marshall increased knowledge flow by valuing edu-cation. One theme running throughout his career was an “insa-tiable desire to learn, to know, [and] to understand.” Stationed inTientsin, “he . . . [became] an authority on Chinese civilization,history, and language . . . [and was] the only American officerwho could examine Chinese witnesses without the aid of inter-preters.” Marshall’s awareness that Hitler was building a hugemilitary industrial complex led him to warn of the Nazi threatand America’s vulnerability.

The inspiring identity that George Marshall spread to otherswas one of a dutiful public servant to a worthy country that heloved. When the time arrived for the Allies to invade Europe,General Marshall had hoped to be the one to lead the effort asSupreme Commander of the Allied Forces. The position wouldbe based in Great Britain. FDR, however, felt he needed GeneralMarshall with him in Washington, D.C. Although he was person-ally disappointed, Marshall remained working for the presidentas army chief of staff and appointed Dwight D. Eisenhower to theposition of supreme commander of Operation Overlord. WhileMarshall served in a less visible but nonetheless important role,Eisenhower’s success as supreme commander served as a spring-board to the presidency. It takes an extraordinary personal senseof one’s duty for someone to make a sacrifice of the magnitudemade by General Marshall.

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George Marshall once said, “The less you agree with thepolicies of your superiors, the more energy you must direct totheir accomplishment.” This attitude gave FDR confidence thathe could always count on Marshall, and the president expressedthis confidence by saying, “When I disapprove [of Marshall’srecommendations], I don’t have to look over my shoulder to seewhich way he is going . . . I know he is going . . . to give me themost loyal support as chief of staff that any president couldwish.”1 It takes an uncommon degree of integrity and humilityto do this.

A soldier of peace, George C. Marshall left as a legacystrengthened connections among the peace-loving nations. Hiswork laid the foundation for the unprecedented spread of libertyin the last half of the twentieth century.

APPLICATION

General George C. Marshall increased inspiring identity bybecoming a role model of a soldier-statesman who was dedicatedto his country and worked hard to do his best in the positions heheld. He increased human value by standing up to GeneralPershing and defending the men in his command when he feltthey were treated unfairly. General Marshall increased knowledgeflow by learning what was going on outside America so that hecould be prepared to respond to external developments. Whatqualities of George Marshall do you see in yourself? FDR said ofMarshall, “I don’t have to look over my shoulder to see which wayhe is going . . . I know he is going . . . to give me the most loyalsupport as chief of staff that any president could wish.” Wouldyour supervisor say the same about you?


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DAY 5: HUG YOUR CUSTOMERS™

Mitchells/Richards/Marshs is a retail store phenomenon. In 2002,the leading menswear retailing magazine named the companyRetailer of the Year. Its two locations in Greenwich and Westport,Connecticut, about an hour’s drive from New York City, sell anastounding $65 million in clothing annually. Remarkably, half thehouseholds in those towns have purchased from the company.The company’s clients include many well-known celebrities suchas the actor Paul Newman and Today Show host Matt Lauer, aswell as the last three CEOs of General Electric and the heads ofIBM, Xerox, Starwood, PepsiCo, JP Morgan, Lehman Brothers,and many others. Most recently, the firm acquired Marshs innearby Huntington, New York.

Surely near the top of the list of factors contributing to itssuccess is the culture of Mitchells/Richards/Marshs, whichrevolves around connection. Mitchells/Richards/Marshs’ man-agement, employees, customers, and suppliers benefit from thestrong connection that exists among them.

Connection has always been the foundation of Mitchells/Richards/Marshs. In 1958, Ed Mitchell traded an unfulfilling mar-keting and advertising career in New York City that was giving himulcers for the world of retail. Ed and his wife, Norma, thoughtthat opening a men’s clothing store in Westport would allow themto do what they loved, which was connecting with people. Theyfounded the store based on the belief that it was right to treatemployees like family and customers like friends. Until he died inJanuary 2004 at the age of ninety-eight, Ed continued to work at theWestport store several hours each week. Norma, too, had worked atthe store up until her death a decade earlier. Retiring seemed out ofthe question to these two who loved connection.

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Ed Mitchell’s philosophy is enthusiastically embraced by hissons, Jack, now the company’s CEO, and Bill, the vice chairman.Both men embody their father’s love of people. Bill frequentlyreminds everyone that “it’s just right to care for people.” Jack is anenergetic, warm-hearted leader who is a natural-born optimistand encourager. He and Bill are constantly on the move in bothstores, making connections with customers and colleagues.

To bring the Mitchells’ philosophy to life, Jack describes car-ing for people as giving them a metaphorical hug. He’s even writ-ten about it in a best-selling book published in 2003, Hug YourCustomers: The Proven Way to Personalize Sales and AchieveAstounding Results.

Inspiring identity is increased when leaders articulate a com-mon cause that unites and inspires management and employeesalike. Everyone who has a connection with Mitchells/Richards/Marshs is proud of what it stands for: a reputation for excellence asreflected in its first-class employees and high-quality clothing, a pas-sion for caring about people, and a commitment to giving back tothe community by regularly holding charity fund-raisers in its stores.

Human value pervades the Mitchells/Richards/Marshs culture.The leaders believe in getting to know associates and customers ona personal basis (and it’s not uncommon for them to get to knowtheir family members too). Managers make certain that employeeshave time for a life outside of work. They reach out to help associ-ates in need (a bedside visit in the hospital or a homemade favoritedessert would not be unusual). Management is flexible to meetemployee needs (such as letting a sixty-five-year-old employee takea nap during the middle of the day to restore his energy). Becausethey care about associates, there have been a few occasions whenmanagers have told verbally abusive customers to take their busi-ness elsewhere.


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Mitchells/Richards/Marshs wants customers to feel the storesare as welcoming as a home, so adults may enjoy a complimentaryin-store espresso bar and children may wait in a comfortable tele-vision viewing area. Management and associates call customers andone another by their first names because that’s what friends do. Ifa customer has an emergency after hours, they’ll open up the store.Mitchells/Richards/Marshs’ technology investments keep track ofinformation on customers including their likes and dislikes.

They make it a practice to travel to their suppliers’ headquar-ters because it shows they value them, and it’s easier to connect withpeople when you meet them face-to-face. Anyone working atMitchells/Richards/Marshs who consistently behaves in a way thatis at odds with human value is respectfully shown the door.

In 1995, Mitchells acquired Richards, the premier men’sclothing store in nearby Greenwich. Typically in acquisitions,management and employees of the acquirer exert an air of supe-riority toward management and employees of the acquired. Thisacquisition couldn’t have been more different. Out of respect fortheir new colleagues at Richards, the Mitchells family maintainedthe Richards name and described the deal as a merger of equals,although it was technically an acquisition. They also maintainedthe salary-based compensation structure preferred by the Richardsassociates rather than force them to convert to the commission-based system used at Mitchells. Following the acquisition, Jack’ssons, Russ and Bob, spent 80 percent of their time at Richards“hugging” their new colleagues to let them know just how muchthey were respected and appreciated. To this day, the Mitchellsstill refer to Ed Schachter, the former owner of Richards who con-tinues to work at the store, as “the Boss.”

Knowledge flow also increases connection at Mitchells/Richards/Marshs. By encouraging associates to express their

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opinions and ideas, management creates a stronger connection withthem. In turn, associates consider each other’s opinions and ideas,and the connection among them benefits the business. Manage-ment is intentional about hiring people who are listeners andlearners who seek personal growth, believing these associates willnaturally listen closely to customers and have valuable ideas andperspectives to share. Mitchells/Richards/Marshs creates a greaterconnection with customers by giving many top customers a voicevia the company’s client advisory board.

As Ed Mitchell knew from day one, and Mitchells/Richards/Marshs’ success goes to show, connecting with people is not onlythe right thing to do, it’s the wise thing to do too. And you can besure Ed Mitchell’s legacy of connecting with people is in goodhands. Jack and Bill remain extremely active in the business, yet inmany respects have passed the torch to the third generation. Thefamily has unanimously designated Russ and Bob Mitchell co-pres-idents and future co-CEOs because “they are superhuggers” certainto maintain Mitchells/Richards/Marshs commitment to connec-tion with employees, suppliers, and customers in the years ahead.1

APPLICATION

Mitchells/Richards/Marshs increased inspiring identity by clearlycommunicating its values of caring for people and holding high-profile fund-raisers in its stores for local charitable organizations.It increased human value by treating employees like family andcustomers like friends. Knowledge flow was increased at Mitchells/Richards/Marshs by hiring people who were good listeners andlearners. What aspects of the Hug Your Customers™ philosophywould work in your organization?


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DAY 6: A MOST UNLIKELY TURNAROUND

One of the greatest turnaround stories in all of history is also oneof the most unlikely. It is the story of Queen Elizabeth I, a twenty-five-year-old woman who inherited the throne of England in1558 having no leadership experience, faced prejudice in a timewhen women were considered grossly inferior to men, and livedwith frequent threats of death. Despite these obstacles, she over-came the odds and led her country from near financial ruin toone of the most powerful kingdoms on earth. She is a timelessexample of how a leader can connect with people and bring outthe best in them.

Elizabeth’s start in life was far from auspicious. She was thedaughter of King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn. WhenElizabeth was two years old, the king accused her mother of adul-tery and had her beheaded in the Tower of London. At that time,Elizabeth lost her title as princess and her position in the line ofsuccession to the throne. Some years later, however, her step-mother, Catherine Parr, persuaded King Henry to restore Elizabethto the line of succession.

When Elizabeth became queen, England was unstable, and herchances of success, or even survival, looked dim. First, England wasin a state of severe internal strife between Protestants and Catholicsfollowing the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. Second, itstreasury was nearly empty. Finally, Pope Pius V had declared that“whoever sends [Queen Elizabeth] out of this world . . . not onlydoes not sin but gains merit in the eyes of God.” With the pope’s

blessing, plans to kill Elizabeth were hatched by groups in Rome,France, and Spain.

Despite the dire situation, Queen Elizabeth rose to the occasion.When word arrived that she had inherited the throne after her step-sister Queen Mary’s death, Elizabeth slipped the queen’s ring on herfinger, kneeled, and declared Psalm 118:23: The LORD has done this,and it is marvelous in our eyes. With a sense of divine appointment,she set out on her long road to restoring England’s glory.

What stands out about Elizabeth’s reign is the strength of hercommitment to her mission and her people. One sign of thatcommitment was her rejection of marriage to the love of her life,Robert Dudley. It was rumored that his terminally ill wife diedfrom a fall that occurred when Dudley pushed her. If Elizabethmarried Dudley, her leadership would have been compromised.She chose instead to declare herself “bound unto a husband whichis the Kingdom of England . . . [and she would be pleased if she]lived and died a virgin.”

Thereafter, Elizabeth became known as the Virgin Queen, adescription that invited comparison to the Virgin Mary. Thequeen appears to have encouraged her new image. When Sir WalterRaleigh wanted to name a colony in North America in her honor,Elizabeth suggested the name Virginia.

Elizabeth met a military challenge in 1588. King Philip II ofSpain had assembled the Great Armada of 130 ships and thirtythousand men to attack England and restore it to Catholicism.Elizabeth, intent upon leading her soldiers, personally went toTilbury near the English Channel to join them and await theSpanish. Her soldiers were mesmerized, to say the least, as she cir-culated among them. One eyewitness described her as looking likea “sacred general.” The speech she gave there has been described as“one of the greatest orations in British history.” In part she said,


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My loving people . . . I am come . . . to live and die amongst you

all. To lay down for God, my kingdom and for my people, my

honour and my blood even in the dust. I know I have the body

of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach

of a King and a King of England too and think it foul scorn that

. . . Spain or any Prince of Europe should dare to invade the bor-

ders of my realm; to which, rather than any dishonour shall

grow by me, I myself will take up arms.

Although many of her subjects had come to adore her for hersteadfast determination to make England great, it was at Tilbury,according to historian Simon Schama, that Elizabeth became anational icon. Fortunately, Elizabeth’s readiness to fight was nevertested. Before the Armada could arrive, a combination of the fastand maneuverable British ships with superior weaponry and thewinds at sea devastated the Armada. The Spanish lost thirty shipsand fifteen thousand men.

Inspiring identity was restored to England under QueenElizabeth. Many historians agree that she was admired by hersubjects, many of whom affectionately referred to her as “GoodQueen Bess.” Because the identity of the kingdom was so closelylinked to the ruler’s identity, the English people’s affection forQueen Elizabeth and her growing stature in the world made themproud to be her subjects.

Elizabeth increased human value by demonstrating how shecared for people. When her advisors encouraged her to punishCatholics, she refused. She chose to dedicate herself wholly to herpeople rather than marry the man she loved, and she showed shewas willing to fight alongside her soldiers. At a time when mon-archs ruled with an iron hand, her actions showed compassionand a sense of obligation to her subjects.

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Although knowledge flow was limited at this point in his-tory, there is evidence that Queen Elizabeth listened to the adviceof her closest advisors and carefully considered what she learnedbefore making decisions. Because she was not as quick to rule onmatters before her, or at least not as quick as past rulers, her crit-ics decried her slower, more measured approach as evidence thatshe was a poor leader. In reality, Queen Elizabeth’s thoughtfulapproach to making decisions served her and England well.

The increased connection among the English contributed toa revival of England’s commercial and cultural activity. So suc-cessful was Queen Elizabeth’s forty-four-year reign that it becameknown as England’s Golden Age.1

APPLICATION

Queen Elizabeth I increased inspiring identity by declaring her-self married to England as a sign of her commitment to her duty.She increased human value by refusing to punish Catholics whoheld views different from her own. She increased knowledge flowby listening to her advisors and considering their views. Are theretimes when you feel you need to work against the conventions ofyour time and bring about change? What themes in the QueenElizabeth story inspire you?

DAY 7: ENLIGHTENED MONARCH?

As a young man, Prince Frederick II found himself in an unbearablesituation. Living in the Prussian capital of Berlin in the early eigh-teenth century, Frederick longed for autonomy and independence


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but lived under an autocratic, overbearing father, Frederick I, thefirst king of Prussia. The king disapproved of Fredrick’s moremodern ways, so he beat and berated him publicly to force his sonto comply with his wishes.

When the prince was eighteen years old, he and a friend wereapprehended trying to escape to England. To punish his son, theking made Frederick watch as his friend was beheaded. Out ofthese harsh experiences Frederick learned what it felt like to be onthe receiving end of a ruler who abused his power. Unfortunately,for the time being, there was nothing he could do about it. So hepatiently waited for his hour to arrive.

In 1740, Frederick II assumed the Prussian throne. He seemeddetermined to lead in a far different way from that of his father.Influenced by the writings of John Locke and Cicero, he describedhimself as “the first servant of the state.” His actions were trulyrevolutionary.

Prussia’s inspiring identity increased with the spread ofFrederick’s image as an enlightened monarch. Under Frederick,Prussia saw its reputation grow as a European power, which alsoincreased the cultural element of inspiring identity.

Frederick increased human value in several ways. He lived asan ascetic in modest accommodations compared to the grandpalaces of most rulers. He established individual protections underlaw by expediting the legal process, abolishing torture, and makingdeath sentences subject to his personal approval. He instituted thefirst German law code and educated judges, which led to Prussiancourts gaining the reputation as the fairest courts in Europe. He setforth a policy of religious toleration. He rebuilt towns and thou-sands of miles of roads to connect communities. Knowledge flowincreased when he protected freedom of the press and promotededucation for his people.

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The results of Frederick’s rule were extraordinary. During theSeven Years’ War, he successfully defended Prussia from French,Russian, and Austrian attacks, despite having fewer militaryresources. Ultimately, he built Prussia into one of the strongeststates in Europe before he died in 1786.

Historian James MacGregor Burns called him “one of themost masterful . . . constructive and successful rulers in recenttimes.” Voltaire, the French philosopher, described Frederick as“the Philosopher King.” But his people called him the name bywhich he will forever be remembered: Frederick the Great.

Although Frederick realized remarkable success early in hisreign, later on he began to fail as a leader. His insatiable desire formilitary conquest in order to achieve personal fame and meet hisdead father’s expectations overcame his desire to help thepeople. Eventually, the bloody battles Frederick undertook alongwith his sleeplessness and nightmares about his father con-tributed to his growing sense of hopelessness, despair, and poorhealth. As he aged, Frederick’s behavior toward others becameabusive. At one time he had the devotion of the Prussian people,but by the time of his death in 1786 few mourned him.1

APPLICATION

Frederick the Great increased the inspiring identity of Prussia byimproving his reputation as an effective leader. He increasedhuman value by making the law courts fair. He increased knowledgeflow by improving education for Prussians. How might you changethe conditions of your workplace environment after you have beenpromoted? What might you do differently than your supervisor?


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DAY 8: FIRST IN THEIR HEARTS

Richard Neustadt, Presidential Scholar at Harvard University,observed the following about George Washington: “It wasn’t hisgeneralship that made him stand out . . . It was the way heattended to and stuck by his men. His soldiers knew that herespected and cared for them, and that he would share theirsevere hardships.”

From the time he was a young man, George Washington kepta personal rule book to remind him of the behavior that he aspiredto live out each day. Many of the rules embody human value andcapture the respect and deference Washington showed for othersthroughout his life. Some entries read: “Every action done in com-pany ought to be done with some sign of respect to those who arepresent”; “Speak not when you should hold your peace”; “Use noreproachful language against anyone”; “Submit your judgment toothers with modesty”;“When another speaks, be attentive”;“Thinkbefore you speak”; and “Be not so desirous to overcome as not togive liberty to each one to deliver his opinion.”

Like many other great leaders who inspire their followers,George Washington increased human value in the culture hewas responsible for leading. The historian Edward G. Lengeldescribed Washington’s leadership during the extraordinarilycold winter of 1777–78 at Valley Forge as “sacrificial” and notedthat “he took great care in seeing that his soldiers were wellhoused.” Historian Henry Steele Commager noted Washington’ssacrifice for America was supported by the facts that he served ascommander of the Continental Army without pay and was nearlybankrupt by the time he returned home to Mount Vernon afterserving as the country’s first president. On one occasion when

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approached by soldiers who wanted to overthrow the wartimegovernment and set up Washington to lead the country, he metwith them and made it clear that the thought of overthrowing thecolonial American government was repulsive to him and underno circumstances would he consider it.

When King George III of England heard the news thatWashington resigned his military commission without seizingpower following the American Revolution’s conclusion, he wassaid to have commented, “If it is true, George Washington is thegreatest man in the world.”

The selfless behavior of Washington connected people withhim as their leader because it promoted trust. When a leaderdemonstrates that he or she is leading for the sake of the missionand the people, rather than for self-serving purposes, people nat-urally become more trusting.

George Washington increased knowledge flow. He had a rep-utation for being quick to listen and slow to speak. During theRevolutionary War, Washington listened to the advice of his warcouncil, a group of soldiers who reported directly to him, andtheir advice helped him avoid what would have been costly mis-takes. During the Constitutional Convention over which hepresided, Washington rarely said a word other than to interveneand make decisions to break a logjam in the deliberations.

Washington increased inspiring identity. He was committedto the cause of independence and frequently referred to it as“our glorious cause.” His love of America and personal sacrificefor it inspired others. With all the brilliant individuals sur-rounding him—John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, BenjaminFranklin, Alexander Hamilton, and others—Washington was theone to whom they indisputably looked as the greatest leaderamong them.1


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Under Washington’s leadership and the culture he helpedcreate, connection among the colonists united them to defeat thepreeminent military power of their age and set the stage for a newnation to emerge.

APPLICATION

George Washington increased inspiring identity by telling thesoldiers he led about their “glorious cause.” He increasedhuman value by sharing in the sacrifices that his soldiers madeduring difficult times. He increased knowledge flow by settingan example for others to be good listeners. Washington was oneof the model leaders of our history. Can you think of a modelleader in our time who inspires you? What qualities do youadmire in that person or would you want to emulate in your workenvironment?

DAY 9: RECONNECTING A NATION

An extraordinary historical example of human value occurred fol-lowing the bloody Civil War in America. It began when the headof the Confederate Army, General Robert E. Lee, met with thehead of the Union Army, General Ulysses S. Grant, at AppomattoxCourthouse in 1865 to negotiate the terms of the ConfederateArmy’s surrender. General Grant demonstrated human value byallowing the Confederate officers to retain their swords, personaleffects, and horses rather than require them to be surrendered tothe Union Army. He also promised to return the horses of caval-rymen and artillerists who would need them for their small farms

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when they returned to civilian life. And finally, Grant providedfood and water to Lee’s troops who had eaten very little overrecent days.

After the terms of surrender were finalized in a documentsigned by the two generals and it was time for Lee to depart,Grant accompanied Lee out the door. General Lee was beginningto mount his horse when Grant stepped back, stood at attention,and saluted him by raising his hat. Watching their commander,Grant’s officers followed suit. Deeply touched by Grant’s actions,General Lee turned and raised his hat respectfully to Grant andhis officers as he departed.

Historically, victorious parties plundered their defeated ene-mies for economic gain and for revenge. As military men andgraduates of the US Military Academy at West Point, Lee andGrant knew that Grant’s actions were unusual—they exhibitedthe sense of respect and dignity implicit in human value. GeneralLee never forgot Grant’s benevolence. Some years later, after hehad become the president of Washington College in Lexington,Virginia, Lee heard a professor denigrate General Grant’s charac-ter and shot back, “Sir, if you ever speak again disrespectfully ofGeneral Grant in my presence, either you or I will sever his con-nection with this university!”

Another act that increased human value in the post-Civil Warculture occurred when President Abraham Lincoln called formagnanimity on the part of all Americans to heal the animositybetween Northerners and Southerners. In his second inauguralspeech Lincoln said,

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in

the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to fin-

ish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care


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for him who shall have borne the battle and his widow and his

orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and last-

ing peace among ourselves and with all nations.

The years following the Civil War were difficult for the South,

but Robert E. Lee helped to bring about healing by setting an

example for others. He swore allegiance to the United States and, as

a result, brought tens of thousands of former Confederate soldiers

back into the Union. On another occasion, General Lee led the

way for white Southerners in an act that reverberated throughout

America. At St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, an

African-American freedman stunned white parishioners by break-

ing tradition and being the first person to approach and kneel at

the chancel rail to receive Communion. While other whites hesi-

tated, the legendary general approached the rail and knelt beside

the African-American man.1

These words and deeds of Grant, Lee, and Lincoln increasedhuman value in America at a time when it was needed to recon-nect its citizens.

APPLICATION

So often in mergers, some of the acquiring company’s employeesact superior to the employees of the acquired company. Howdid the respect that General Ulysses S. Grant and his officersshowed to General Robert E. Lee increase human value, and howcan employees of an acquiring company show a similar degree ofrespect toward employees of an acquired company? When youhave been in a position of power, or as “victor,” how have youtreated the other side?

DAY 10: CONNECTION TO THE CAUSE

In 1852, a writer living in New Brunswick, Maine, published abook that would be a catalyst to abolish slavery in America. Herpublisher was not optimistic that the book would sell manycopies, nor was she.

They couldn’t have been more wrong.According to historian David McCullough, the book made

publishing history, selling ten thousand copies in the first weekand three hundred thousand in the first year. Three presses rancontinuously to keep up with demand. Outside America the booksold one and a half million copies in a year and eventually wastranslated into thirty-seven languages. It is still being read, pon-dered, and discussed today.

McCullough observed this about the book:

What the book did at the time was to bring slavery out into the

open and show it for what it was, in human terms. No writer

had done that before. Slavery had been argued over in the

abstract, preached against as a moral issue, its evils whispered

about in polite company. But the book made people feel what

slavery was about.

The popularity of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and its effect on readerstook the author by surprise. Huge crowds came out to see herwherever she spoke. It was said that when President AbrahamLincoln met Harriett Beecher Stowe, he said, “So this is the littlewoman who made this big war.” Pondering the power that writ-ten stories had on people, she wrote, “For good or for evil, [it] isa thing which ought most seriously to be reflected on. No one canfail to see that in our day it is becoming a very great agency.”


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On January 1, 1863, the day Lincoln signed theEmancipation Proclamation that freed slaves, Harriett BeecherStowe was attending a concert in Boston. When someone inthe crowd announced she was present, the audience gave her astanding ovation.1

Although Stowe was not a leader in the typical sense, she wasclearly a thought leader. Slavery in America had been hotly debatedand discussed since the founding of the country, and yet slaverywas not abolished until more than eight decades after Americaachieved its independence. Stowe’s words made it personal. Key toher success was her understanding of how Americans who weresympathetic to the abolition of slavery thought of themselves, inother words, their inspiring identity. Part of their inspiring identitywas that they were decent, God-fearing people. The life of slaverydescribed by Stowe was inconsistent with that identity. Likewise,they saw themselves as people who stood up against oppression. Bywriting a story that described conditions they deplored, Stoweforged an emotional connection among them that rallied them tomake supreme sacrifices for the sake of their shared cause.

APPLICATION

With her book Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriett Beecher Stowe touchedthe hearts of abolitionists. Her vivid description of the evils of slav-ery outraged those who thought of themselves as decent peopleand moved them to action. Would you have the courage to exposewrongdoing in your organization? How might you create aware-ness of a standard practice that you know is wrong?

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DAY 11: COMMUNITY CATALYST

In 1982, Howard Schultz, the current chairman and chief globalstrategist of Starbucks, left his prestigious job as national salesmanager for a European housewares company to join a small,Seattle-based coffee roaster and retailer. Starbucks had come toSchultz’s attention when he noticed the small business was pur-chasing a disproportionately large number of coffee makersfrom his company. When Schultz visited Seattle, he stopped tocheck out Starbucks and became intrigued with the possibili-ties. “I saw Starbucks, not for what it was but for what it couldbe,” he said.

The key to Schultz’s vision was simple: create community. Theidea came to him while visiting Milan, Italy, where he observedpeople gathering at their neighborhood espresso bars “like an exten-sion of the front porch, an extension of the home,” he liked to say.At Starbucks, Schultz saw a means to bring people together inAmerica, just as espresso bars bring them together in Italy.

Unfortunately, the founders of Starbucks didn’t share Schultz’svision and preferred to remain a coffee roaster with a small retailpresence. Schultz’s belief in the idea, however, was so certain that heeventually left Starbucks in 1985 to start an espresso bar retailer.Two years later, he bought Starbucks from its owners and mergedit into his small company. Schultz, a passionate, visionary leader,revolutionized coffee retailing in the USA and is rapidly takingStarbucks worldwide.

Howard Schultz carefully nurtured an inspiring identity for

the company in the hearts and minds of employees. At first hetold his story and explained in detail how Starbucks wouldbecome an oasis for people as they took time out of their increas-ingly busy days to stop by for a brief period to relax. As the com-pany grew by 1997 to more than 1,300 stores and 25,000 partners,it became impossible for Schultz to reach everyone in person. Sohe did the next best thing. He compiled his stories into an inspir-ing book titled Pour Your Heart into It.

Pour Your Heart into It is a compelling account of the Starbucksstory. Every Starbucks partner who reads it will understandStarbucks’s history and where it’s headed. The book is filled withvividly told stories, including Schultz’s vision for creating commu-nity. By articulating his vision, he transformed their work experi-ence from selling coffee to a higher calling of creating communityamong people.

Schultz brought human value to the Starbucks culture bypaying employees well relative to other retailers, and also provid-ing generous benefits such as health-care insurance and partici-pation in the Starbucks stock option plan.

Schultz increased knowledge flow in the Starbucks cultureby making it everyone’s responsibility to share ideas about howto continuously improve the business. Schultz presented a veryapproachable persona that made people comfortable that it wassafe to be honest with him.

Fostering a connection between employees (or “partners,” asthey are known at Starbucks) and customers is an integral part ofthe Starbucks experience. Partners are trained to understand howto make a customer’s visit true to Starbucks’s mission (frontlineemployees’ behavior is aligned with the mission to create com-munity). Habits such as making eye contact with customers,remembering regular customers’ drink orders, and anticipating

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customer needs are developed through orientation and ongoingtraining programs.

The results speak for themselves. By 2005, Starbucks hadmore than 100,000 partners, 10,801 retail locations, 35 millioncustomers walking through its doors, and a record $6.4 billion inrevenue during its fiscal year. Its success should come as no sur-prise given that Starbucks says, “The human connection . . . is thefoundation of everything we do.”1

APPLICATION

Howard Schultz increased inspiring identity by telling theStarbucks story in writing so that anyone could read it and under-stand how Starbucks developed its values. He increased humanvalue by calling employees “partners” and compensating partnersabove industry norms. Shultz’s approachable persona increasedknowledge flow because he made it safe for people to be honestwith him. Do you know the inspiring identity of your organiza-tion? Could you articulate it for yourself and others? Do you feelthat everyone is on the same page?

DAY 12: THE BUSINESS OF THE BODY SHOP

In 1976, Anita Roddick, a thirty-three-year-old housewife,founded The Body Shop in Brighton, England, to support herselfand her two daughters while her husband embarked on an expe-dition across the Americas. By the time he returned from the tripten months later, she had opened a second location. Today, TheBody Shop can be found in fifty-three countries, and it has grownto more than two thousand stores.


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What contributed to The Body Shop’s remarkable rise over thelast thirty years? Certainly, several factors are responsible, includingThe Body Shop’s culture that increases trust, cooperation, andesprit de corps among its employees.

Roddick gave The Body Shop an inspiring identity when shededicated the organization to “the pursuit of social and environ-mental change.” Roddick helped people connected to The BodyShop see how they could use their business to generate revenuethat would be used in part to advance The Body Shop’s values:eliminate animal testing, support community trade, defendhuman rights, activate self-esteem, and protect our planet. Forexample, community trade would be advanced when The BodyShop bought natural hair and skin care products from develop-ing nations and sold them to customers around the world.

Defending human rights and protecting the environmentcould be advanced through The Body Shop’s activities to educatecustomers, conserve resources in their day-to-day business, andorganize protests against organizations or nations that behaved ina way that was counter to The Body Shop’s values. The Body Shop’sefforts to advance its values included everything from protestingagainst the Brazilian embassy in London over its cooperation withmining companies whose employees introduced diseases thatthreatened local tribes, to raising awareness and money to stopdomestic violence.

Because the values of The Body Shop were values that AnitaRoddick cared about, she became a tireless spokesperson and spir-itual leader of the organization while her husband, Gordon, ranthe day-to-day business operations. Anita was unconcerned aboutprofit as long as it was sufficient to provide the resources to sup-port The Body Shop’s cause. Naturally, The Body Shop attractedemployees who shared these values, and that common ground

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created a strong sense of connection among employees. When areporter for Inc. magazine asked Roddick about the success of TheBody Shop and particularly about the company’s unusual dedica-tion to its mission, she replied,“[A cause that grabs an employee’s]imagination . . . produces . . . a sense of passion you simply won’tfind in [most other stores] . . . It’s a way for people to bond to thecompany.”

The Body Shop increased human value in its culture throughemployee training that emphasized the benefits of its naturalproducts. The training was informational rather than lessons inways to persuade potential customers to buy products.

Knowledge flow increased when Roddick created the com-pany’s popular in-house newspaper to communicate directly withthe growing number of Body Shop employees around the world.It contains a mix of articles on the company’s efforts to advance itsmission of social and environmental change as well as poetry, factsabout the environment, and educational stories. Several booksthat Roddick has written also increase knowledge flow.

In 2003, Anita Roddick became a Dame of the Order of theBritish Empire. In March 2006, L’Oreal agreed to purchase TheBody Shop for £652 million (almost $1.14 billion US dollars).Dame Anita Roddick announced her intention to remain withThe Body Shop as a consultant (the position she has held inrecent years), and she reconfirmed that she would give her moneyto organizations that upheld The Body Shop’s values.1

APPLICATION

Anita Roddick increased The Body Shop’s inspiring identity bygiving it a cause: the pursuit of social and environmental change.


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She increased human value by training employees to understandThe Body Shop’s natural products and the benefits of using itsproducts. Roddick’s investment of her personal time and atten-tion to communicate to employees through the company’s popu-lar newspaper increased knowledge flow. Do you feel inspiredby the vision and values of your organization? Are you workingtoward a greater goal than just your day-to-day job?

DAY 13: MORE THAN AN ORACLE

Warren Buffett is widely recognized as an exceptional judge ofcorporate value. “The Oracle of Omaha,” as he is known, isarguably the most successful investor in history. Corporate lead-ers from Jeffrey Immelt of General Electric to Martha Stewartmake the trek to Omaha, Nebraska, seeking his wisdom. With somuch attention on Buffett’s investment acumen, it’s easy to over-look another talent: motivating people. It’s one of a host of rea-sons his investments tend to outperform the market.

The talented managers who run Buffett’s companies remainwith him because he keeps them engaged in their jobs. In Buffett’sown words, “Charlie [Charlie Munger, Buffett’s longtime businesspartner] and I mainly attend to capital allocation and the care andfeeding of our key managers . . . Most of our managers are inde-pendently wealthy and it’s up to us to create a climate that encour-ages them to choose working with Berkshire over golfing or fishing.”

A closer look at Buffett shows, at least in part, how he does it.He imparts an inspiring identity to members of the Berkshire

Hathaway family. The vision he constantly communicates is thatBerkshire companies are well managed and have great people. It’snot unusual to hear him tell employees to “just keep on doing

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what you’re doing . . . we’re never going to tell a .400 hitter tochange his batting stance.” Who wouldn’t be flattered to bepraised by Buffett?

Buffett increases human value in several ways. He is trustingand forgiving. By investing for long periods in the companies heowns, Buffett indicates that he trusts his managers. He delegatesdecision-making authority, in his own words, “to the point ofabdication.” And when a manager makes an honest mistake, hekeeps it in perspective. One manager who informed Buffett thathis business had to write off $350 million was stunned whenBuffett told him, “We all make mistakes . . . if you didn’t makemistakes, you can’t make decisions . . . You can’t dwell on them.”

He increases human value by modeling civility and respectfor others. His secretary has said she hasn’t seen him mad once inthe nine years she has worked for him. The one time I met Buffettat a meeting in New York City, he patiently waited around tospeak with everyone who wanted to meet him. He was attentiveand focused on them, never projecting the slightest hint of self-importance.

He is confident, yet humble. Buffett knows he’s very good atwhat he does, and he projects an easy confidence rather than supe-riority or arrogance. He credits his managers for his success,remains plain spoken, works in a modest office, lives in a modesthouse, and proclaims thrift as a virtue (the vanity plate on his carreads “Thrifty”).

Compare Warren Buffett to Donald Trump, for example. It’shard to imagine Buffett prominently displaying his name all overeverything he owns or relishing in telling someone “you’re fired.”Instead of everything being all about him, Buffett insists it’s allabout others. He appears to be guided by the Golden Rule ratherthan Machiavelli’s The Prince.


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Given the way Buffett treats people, it should come as no sur-prise that some private company owners report turning downmore lucrative offers to join the Berkshire family. It is telling thatno manager who sold a company to Buffett has ever left for a com-petitor, and several continue to work well into their eighties. Putsimply, “people want to work for him,” proclaimed another satis-fied manager, Rich Santulli, head of NetJets.

Buffett increases knowledge flow by modeling approachabilityand candor. At the annual meeting he hosts in Omaha for Berkshireshareholders, Buffett and Charlie Munger sit on a platform, listen-ing to shareholder opinions and answering questions for hours onend. In dealing with his managers he follows the data they providehim in periodic reports and makes himself available if they want totalk.1 Buffett writes and speaks with candor, even pointing out mis-takes he made and what he learned from them.

Leaders would be wise to emulate the way Warren Buffett leadsBerkshire Hathaway. Perhaps we need a book on how the Oracle ofOmaha inspires rather than yet another on how he invests.

APPLICATION

Warren Buffett increased inspiring identity by frequently praisingthe employees of companies owned by Berkshire Hathaway, refer-ring to them as “.400 hitters.” He increased human value by treat-ing people with respect, giving them autonomy “to the point ofabdication,” and being quick to forgive them if they made anhonest mistake. Buffett increased knowledge flow by personallybeing approachable and candid in his public comments. Imagineworking at Berkshire Hathaway. How do you think you wouldfeel? Is it very different from your current work environment? Is

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there anything you could do in your organization to bring aboutthis kind of engagement?

DAY 14: RITZ-CARLTON CHARACTER AND CULTURE

While I was working on this book my family spent several vaca-tion days at the Ritz-Carlton Resort on Key Biscayne near Miami.I have long been a fan of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, hav-ing stayed there during business trips over the years. I knew fromfirsthand experience that Ritz-Carlton connects with its guests.On this particular trip, I was determined to closely observe theemployees to learn more about the best practices of the company.

One of the first Ritz-Carlton employees we met was MeryCastelblanco, a gracious, Colombian-born club concierge. Merytold us about the club and asked about our children. Immediately,Katie and I were impressed with Mery’s focus on us and her kind,caring spirit. Throughout our stay, the club staff—Mery, supervi-sor Marc Rapp, concierge Paul Hoyo, and others—helped us lineup activities for the week. With our frequent interactions, welearned more about their backgrounds and families, and theylearned more about us.

My impression of the Ritz-Carlton staff was echoed by anotherguest, who remarked, “The people here are so nice.” And she wasright. Actually, Ritz-Carlton is intentional about hiring people whofit that general description. Marco Selva, the resort’s general man-ager, graciously took time to sit down with me and discuss thecompany. He told me that Ritz-Carlton employees are selectedbased on a structured talent interview by telephone that identifiescharacter strengths such as caring and empathy. In addition, poten-tial employees undergo numerous interviews with current staff


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who provide feedback about whether they would want to workalongside a particular job candidate.

During our stay at the Ritz-Carlton, I couldn’t help noticinghow the guest experience reflects the cultural element of humanvalue. For example, whenever I made eye contact with Ritz-Carltonemployees—in an elevator, a hallway, or anywhere else for thatmatter—they always greeted me with a smile and a warm helloand wished me a pleasant day. They seemed to be looking foropportunities to go the extra mile. Early one morning I was return-ing to our room with cups of coffee for Katie and me when thefloor’s housekeeper noticed I had my hands full. Right away she setaside what she was doing and insisted on helping me. She walkedwith me to the room and opened the door with her room key so Iwouldn’t risk spilling our coffees. What’s more, she seemed gen-uinely delighted to help me. It was a small act of kindness but onethat I sincerely appreciated. On another occasion, when we wantedto pick up a certain DVD at the local Blockbuster to watch in ourroom but didn’t have an account, our club concierge Paul Hoyocontacted Blockbuster and made the arrangements for us to use hispersonal account at the store. I could go on and on, but I’m certainyou get the idea.

One secret to the Ritz-Carlton’s success is that the organizationtakes good care of its employees. According to Sue Stephenson,Ritz-Carlton’s head of human relations, guest and employee loyaltygo hand in hand. That’s why Ritz-Carlton is so particular about itsworkplace culture and disciplined in maintaining it. Its EmployeePromise states unambiguously:

At The Ritz-Carlton, our Ladies and Gentlemen are the most

important resource in our service commitment to members

and guests. By applying the principles of trust, honesty, respect,

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integrity and commitment, we nurture and maximize talent to

the benefit of the individual and the organization. The Ritz-

Carlton fosters a work environment where diversity is valued,

quality of life is enhanced, individual aspirations are fulfilled,

and The Ritz-Carlton mystique is strengthened.

The Ritz-Carlton’s inspiring identity is reflected, first of all, inthe employees’ pride in the company’s reputation for excellence.Employees are also united by the company’s values that includetreating everyone with dignity and respect, creating pride and joyin the workplace, continually identifying defects to be corrected,recording individual guest preferences in the firm’s guest data-base, taking pride in and care of their personal appearance, usingproper vocabulary, and so on. Each of the preceding values is rep-resented in “The Ritz-Carlton Basics,” a set of twenty values, oneof which is reviewed each day during a brief session known as theDaily Lineup that supervisors have with their staff. By continu-ously reviewing this list of values, Ritz-Carlton keeps them on theminds of all staff. Each Monday the company’s locations world-wide celebrate employees who went above and beyond the call ofduty to serve a guest. When I met with Marco Selva, he happilyrecounted the story of Miriam Carballo, a receptionist at the frontdesk who overheard that a guest family’s car seat had broken andgave them the car seat her child had outgrown.

At Ritz-Carlton, the cultural element of human value isreflected in several ways. Beginning on the first day of work, anemployee goes through a two-day orientation led by the hotel’straining manager. Each hotel’s general manager participates inthese sessions and interacts with the trainees. Each employee alsoreceives training about his specific job and then recertificationtraining annually for his position. Ritz-Carlton’s employees have the


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right to be involved in planning work that affects them. The respectand dignity that Ritz-Carlton aims to provide its guests apply equallyto its employees. Marco Selva told me he periodically asks disrup-tive or verbally abusive guests to go elsewhere and even arrangestheir transportation to a different hotel property at the Ritz-Carlton’sexpense. Emphasizing how much the Ritz-Carlton values its employ-ees, he told me that “our employees respect that tremendously.”

Knowledge flow is present in the Ritz-Carlton culture. Earlyin an employee’s tenure she is asked to share her observationsabout how Ritz-Carlton can improve. Furthermore, Marco Selvaand other general managers hold quarterly meetings with allemployees to share performance results (including financial andongoing guest-satisfaction survey results) and seek employeeinput. White boards are maintained on the walls in the variousdepartments where ideas to improve are recorded for staff to see.

With the high degree of connection among management,employees, and guests, it should come as no surprise that Ritz-Carlton was the first and only hotel to win the prestigious MalcolmBaldrige National Quality Award and the only service company towin it twice. After all, the statement that “the genuine care andcomfort of our members and guests is our highest mission” is morethan words on paper at the Ritz-Carlton.1 It’s a way of life.

APPLICATION

Ritz-Carlton increases inspiring identity by upholding values thatits employees personally embrace and by routinely celebratingemployees whose actions embody those values. It increases humanvalue by having guests leave if they become disruptive or verballyabusive to an employee. Knowledge flow is increased at Ritz-Carlton

by maintaining white boards in the departments where employeescan record ideas for improvements. What other “to-dos” could youput on your organization’s list that would bring about this corpo-rate cohesiveness? What ideas might come out of a brainstormingsession in your organization?

DAY 15: PETER DRUCKER’S KIND OF LEADER

The preeminent management sage, the late Peter Drucker, knewsome of the greatest leaders of our time in business and govern-ment. If he had been asked to name who he thought was a modelleader, would he have chosen President Dwight D. Eisenhower,General George C. Marshall, the legendary Alfred P. Sloan Jr. ofGeneral Motors, or one of the many other heads of major com-panies throughout the world he came to know during his distin-guished career? It’s an interesting question, given the reach andinfluence of Drucker. Periodically in his interviews and writingsyou will encounter what may be his highest praise for a personwho, he once said,“could manage any company in America.” Whois she? Business Week featured her on its cover surrounded by . . .Girl Scouts. Her name is Frances Hesselbein.

Although she had no daughters, Frances Hesselbein beganher association with the Girl Scouts when she agreed to help witha troop of thirty Girl Scouts in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, that hadlost its leader. It wasn’t long before Hesselbein’s experience withTroop 17 developed into a lifelong commitment to Girl Scouting.Years later she would become CEO of the national organization,Girl Scouts of the USA.

Hesselbein increased the Girl Scouts’ inspiring identity byshowing women how important it was to reach out to girls, given


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the threats they face such as drugs and teen pregnancy. She helpedwomen to envision the Girl Scout organization as a professional,well-managed organization.

Hesselbein’s leadership style, in fact, it seems her purpose inlife, is to bring out the best in the people she meets. Her words andactions embody human value. She has a high regard for peoplethat shows she values them. She has written that good leaders havean “appreciation of their colleagues individually and the dignity ofthe work their colleagues do.” Her actions show that she “walks thetalk.” She keeps up with what’s going on in the lives of the peoplearound her and personally reaches out to them when congratula-tions or consolation is in order. She invested in improving GirlScout leaders’ people skills. On her watch she built a conferencecenter to train Girl Scout staff. Frances Hesselbein, as a role modelfor other leaders across the organization, effectively increasedhuman value within the Girl Scout culture, and her actions weremultiplied when other leaders adopted her leadership style.

The energetic leader increased knowledge flow by approach-ing communication in an inclusive way, expanding informationin ever-larger circles across the organization. Rather than lectur-ing, her style is to ask insightful questions to draw out relevantissues. In planning and allocating the Girl Scout organization’sresources, she introduced a circular management process thatinvolved virtually everyone across the organization.

With Hesselbein as its leader, the Girl Scout organizationthrived. When she assumed the CEO position in 1976, the GirlScouts’ membership was falling, and the organization was in astate of serious decline. She put sound management practicesin place. During her twenty-four-year tenure, Girl Scout mem-bership quadrupled to nearly three and a half million, diversitymore than tripled, and the organization was transformed into

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what Drucker called “the best-managed organization around.”Hesselbein accomplished the amazing turnaround with a paidstaff of six thousand and 730,000 volunteers.

By the time she resigned from the Girl Scouts in 1990, theorganization’s future was bright. Frances Hesselbein was paid theultimate compliment by Drucker when he recruited her to bethe head of the Drucker Foundation (renamed the Leader to LeaderInstitute), which is dedicated to carrying out their mutual passionfor strengthening leadership in the social sector.2 It should be nosurprise that the foundation’s influence is rapidly growing world-wide with Hesselbein leading the effort. After all, the extraordinaryDrucker, who lived to the age of ninety-five, knew a great leaderwhen he saw one.

APPLICATION

Frances Hesselbein increased inspiring identity by helping GirlScouts’ staff see how important their work was to girls in today’sworld. She increased human value by reaching out to peopleacross the organization to congratulate or console them. Sheincreased knowledge flow by introducing a management processthat intentionally involved practically everyone in the organiza-tion. As you move from authority to influence in leading people,particularly in a volunteer organization, the challenge of inspir-ing employees increases. How do the elements of inspiring iden-tity, human value, and knowledge flow allow you to increase yourinfluence and effectiveness?


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DAY 16: DR. FRED’S INN

In the medical profession, surgeons have a reputation for beingtask masters. Most surgeons stay focused on procedures and main-tain a safe emotional distance from their colleagues and patients. Inthe mid-1990s, Dr. Fred Epstein, a world-famous pediatric neuro-surgeon on staff at the prestigious New York University MedicalCenter in New York City, sensed something was wrong with thisway of thinking. He became more convinced after he read a poemwritten by Chris Lambert, a seventeen-year-old patient who diedfrom a malignant brain tumor. Chris wrote about his pain andstruggle against disease and the fear of death. Dr. Epstein, or “Fred”as his patients and colleagues called him, adored this young manwho was so full of life and had such a big heart. When Fred readChris’s poem and his plea for care and sympathy, it broke his heart.

Chris’s words “demolished” Fred, according to his account inhis book If I Get to Five: What Children Can Teach Us AboutCourage and Character. Although Fred had done everything hecould to save Chris, he realized that he failed to respond to hisyoung patient’s plea to meet his deepest need: the need to connecton an emotional level. Chris’s words made Fred wonder just howmany kids he had failed in this way over the course of his longcareer. It also left him with a longing to change and a dreamabout what could be.

One afternoon, Fred received a call from the chairman of theboard of trustees at Beth Israel Hospital in New York City. Heoffered Fred a blank check to create a new pediatric neuroscience

center. Fred’s vision became the inspiring identity of the Institutefor Neurology and Neurosurgery (the INN). The INN would be aplace where no patient would be turned away, regardless of med-ical situation or financial resources; where surgeons, nurses, andother health-care professionals collaborated and connected, andtogether they connected with patients and their families; and wherethe professionals no longer needed to separate their work andemotional lives.

In preparing to staff the INN, Fred didn’t want to “persuade”people to join him. Instead, he found that when he shared hisvision, the inspiring identity of a new kind of pediatric neurologyand neurosurgery center that emphasized caring for the wholepatient, the hearts of many of his colleagues were stirred. LikeFred, they yearned for a better way to care for their patients. ToFred’s surprise, 108 highly trained doctors, nurses, and otherhealth-care professionals followed him to work at the INN.

From the beginning, the INN’s environment was created toconnect people. Human value was increased in the INN’s cultureby reducing the degree of formality, making doctors and staff moreapproachable. White coats were banned. Doctors were addressedby their first names. Doctors, nurses, and other health-care profes-sionals were encouraged to collaborate with one another ratherthan treat doctors as if they were better than everyone else.

Perhaps most important, everyone was encouraged to con-nect with colleagues, patients, and their families. Doctors, nurses,and other staff, including members of the cleaning crew, partici-pated alongside families in interdenominational services, prayercircles, and physical therapy sessions such as massage and yoga.Everyone was free to take time to play games with the children orhold a child’s hand during chemotherapy. Fred provided an excel-lent example for others to follow. He provided his home number


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to the families of patients. Fred and the INN’s chaplain joinedfamilies if they wanted to pray prior to a child’s surgery.

Human value increased when the young patients reached outto connect with and help one another or to encourage a parent.Mischa Zimmerman, a teenage patient at the INN who saw thepositive impact of giving his Toy Story video to another youngpatient, founded the “Kids Helping Kids” program that encour-ages teens from schools in the greater New York City area to con-nect with teens facing health problems.

Knowledge flow increased because of the INN’s informal cul-ture. The embrace of collaboration also increased knowledge flowamong staff.

After the first six years of the INN’s existence, Fred realized:“My colleagues and I have reached a paradoxical conclusion: we’vebecome better healers—more compassionate, more resilient, andmore creative problem-solvers.”

Over the course of his career, Dr. Fred Epstein created newsurgical techniques and developed caring means to treat patients.Through his efforts, thousands of lives were saved, often thelives of patients that other doctors had deemed terminal. Hepublished more than 175 scholarly papers, served as presidentof the International Society of Pediatric Neurosurgery and theAmerican Society of Pediatric Surgeons, and was editor in chiefof the Journal of Pediatric Neurosurgery.

In late 2001, when Dr. Epstein suffered a traumatic braininjury following a fall while on a Sunday morning bike ride nearhis home, his colleagues and former patients of the INN rallied toencourage him through his recovery. Although it was unlikely thathe would perform surgery again, he continued to work at the INN,concentrating on fund-raising and advancing his vision to mergestate-of-the-art medicine with a caring, healing environment.

WEEK 4

On July 9, 2006, Dr. Epstein died from melanoma.1 His fam-ily and thousands of patients, colleagues, and friends mournedhim. Dr. Fred Epstein’s example of compassion and courage willbe long remembered.

APPLICATION

Dr. Fred Epstein increased inspiring identity by sharing his visionfor a pediatric neurology and neurosurgery center that emphasizedcaring for the whole patient. He increased human value by remov-ing the formal barriers—such as wearing white coats and using“doctor” titles—so that patients could more easily connect withdoctors. He increased knowledge flow by getting the INN’s staff touse first names when addressing one another rather than formaltitles and treating each other as partners in curing illness. If youwere given a blank check to create your own department or center,what elements would you incorporate? What would be importantto you? What stops you from trying some of these today? Is it aquestion of money or the current culture of your organization?

DAY 17: PURPOSE-DRIVEN PASTOR

In the summer of 2005, I was attending a session at the AspenInstitute, a think tank in Aspen, Colorado, when in walked a parti-cipant in the panel discussion about fifty of us had gathered tohear. If I could use only two words to describe this man, they wouldbe fun and unpretentious, hardly adjectives you would expect to beused about one of the most influential religious leaders in theworld today. Yet those were the words that came to mind as I


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watched Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Community Churchin Orange County, California, and author of the best-selling ThePurpose-Driven Life.

A big man, Warren was dressed in his trademark Hawaiian shirtthat made him look as if he was more likely to be headed to a back-yard barbeque than to speak at a conference that also featured for-mer chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State ColinPowell, AOL founder Steve Case, and PBS newsman Jim Lehrer. Inoticed that they were also in the audience to hear Warren speak.

After briefly saying hello to the other panelists, Pastor Rick, asmost people call him, began to make his way around the room togreet everyone in attendance, not just the famous people in theroom but each one of us. It was clear from observing Pastor Rickthat he was intentional about connecting with people. I shouldn’thave been surprised, given the glowing accounts written by socialcommentator Malcolm Gladwell and Harvard social capital expertRobert Putnam about how Warren employs connection to expandSaddleback Community Church’s ministry.

Today, twenty thousand people on average attend weeklyservices at the nondenominational Protestant church. SaddlebackCommunity Church began in 1980 in a Bible study with sevenpeople. One factor that helps explain Saddleback CommunityChurch’s growth is the connection that occurs through its smallgroup ministry. In these groups, six or seven people meet weeklyin each other’s homes to study the Bible and support and encour-age each other. In Orange County, where commutes to work arelong and the gated subdivisions are not especially conducive togiving residents a sense of community, Saddleback CommunityChurch’s small groups help meet the human need for connection.The church’s two hundred programs also create connection amongpeople in the church’s community.

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Pastor Rick encourages connection when he speaks at churchservices. He teaches people to follow the biblical command to “loveyour neighbor as yourself,” which increases human value. Heencourages them to “seek the counsel of others”and “be quick to lis-ten, slow to speak, and slow to become angry,”both of which increaseknowledge flow. Through the teaching of the church, a person inthe Saddleback community becomes aware of the person (or theinspiring identity) that he should become.

Saddleback Community Church’s ministry reaches peoplearound the world through its Web site Pastors.com that providesresources such as sermon material and sources of encouragementto ministers. On the average day, Pastors.com gets approximatelyfour hundred thousand hits. It clearly connects with pastors.

The phenomenal success of The Purpose-Driven Life put RickWarren and Saddleback Community Church in the national spot-light. The book is designed to take a small group of people througha forty-day course to help them grow spiritually. It was launched bypreselling copies at a discount to Pastor Rick’s network of pastors, whobought stacks of them for their church members. The book presolda half million copies and began selling at a half million a month.

The book royalties alone could have made Pastor Rick and hiswife, Kay, extremely wealthy (which might have alienated himfrom some in his church and his Pastors.com subscribers). True tothe admonition Warren wrote in his book that greatness is definedby how much we serve not by how much we receive, and by howmuch we give away rather than how much we keep, the Warrensannounced that they would pay back the compensation they hadreceived from Saddleback Community Church over the years andbegin reverse tithing. In other words, they would give away 90 per-cent of the royalties and keep a mere 10 percent. That connectedwith people too.


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With all of Saddleback Community Church’s success you mightwonder what’s next. Now Rick Warren and the SaddlebackCommunity Church have set their sights on creating a global move-ment that mobilizes churches worldwide to feed the poor, heal thesick, and help the hopeless, a mission infused with human value.1

With his connection-oriented leadership style, I expect we’re justbeginning to see the impact Pastor Rick and his network of pastorswill have on the world.

APPLICATION

Rick Warren increased inspiring identity and human value byteaching values such as “love your neighbor” that resonated withSaddleback Community Church members. He increased humanvalue by mobilizing the church members to take care of fellowsmall group members and to reach out to the poor. Knowledgeflow increased at Saddleback Community Church by teachingpeople to be disciplined about listening to one another. What doyou do on a day-to-day basis that allows you to intentionally con-nect with others? Are you aware of your connection with otherpeople in all aspects of your life? What small steps could you takethat would allow you to connect better with customers?

DAY 18: PATRIOT PLAYBOOK

In recent years, the New England Patriots football team has wonan astounding three National Football League Championshipswithout a roster of big name stars. A high degree of connectionamong the team helps explain why the Patriots have been so

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successful. The beliefs and behaviors of head coach Bill Belichickand quarterback Tom Brady set the tone for the rest of the teamand create trust, cooperation, and esprit de corps.

The inspiring identity that Bill Belichick holds out to the teamis one of achieving perfection through team effort. Similar to thevision that John Wooden had for his UCLA Bruins basketball team(see Chapter 4), Belichick has his players thinking about how toimprove themselves and their teammates in order to make thePatriots the best they can possibly become. He doesn’t rely on emo-tionalism or stirring up hate against the opposing team. Instead, hefocuses on statistics such as fumbles, interceptions, sacks, passcompletion percentages, and other forms of objective, unambigu-ous performance measurement. Continuous improvement to reachperfection is Belichick’s and his players’ relentless goal.

To increase connection among the players, Belichick doesn’tsingle out players for punishment. He makes the whole team domore work when a single player commits an error, which encour-ages players to help one another.

Belichick emphasizes one intangible factor: his players’ self-lessness for the sake of the team. He shows no reluctance to benchegotistical players who act selfish. Belichick has also been willingto trade a talented player whose salary demands work againstteam connection.

Quarterback Tom Brady epitomizes the kind of team playerthat Belichick admires. Players around the league admire Bradyfor his humility and commitment to his teammates. An enthusi-astic Dallas Cowboys receiver, Keyshawn Johnson, gushed that“the guy just turned twenty-eight . . . three Super Bowls at thatage . . . Un-freakin’-believable. And with his attitude, he’s notdone. I bet he’s got three more in him.”

Many of Brady’s attributes increase human value in the Patriots


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culture. In early 2005, Brady stunned sportswriters by accepting asix-year, $60 million contract that was $38 million below the con-tract of Indianapolis Colts star quarterback Peyton Manning.Brady explained that he wanted the team to have the money avail-able for other players. Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter Kingwrote that in covering football for sixteen years he had never seenanything like that, and “if you think that plays well in the lockerroom, you’re right.” Sports Illustrated named Brady its 2005Sportsman of the Year and noted that Brady’s “greatest achieve-ment grows out of a generosity of spirit.” When Visa wanted Bradyto pitch its product in a major television advertisement, Bradyinsisted that his offensive linemen join him in the ad, or he wouldhave to pass.

Belichick increased human value on the team by giving hisassistant coaches considerable autonomy in making decisions, andhe increased knowledge flow by communicating with players inthe weekly team captains’ meeting. This marked a considerablechange from Belichick’s time as head coach for the ClevelandBrowns when he was criticized for micromanaging and failing tocommunicate.1

With the high level of connection on the New EnglandPatriots team, it will likely be a force in pro football for manyyears to come.

APPLICATION

Bill Belichick increased inspiring identity by holding out to the teama vision of achieving perfection through team effort. His leadershipstyle gave assistant coaches autonomy (human value), and he com-municated regularly with players (knowledge flow). Tom Brady

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increased human value by not demanding the highest possiblesalary so that more money will be available to keep his teammateswith the Patriots. What steps could you take to be more intentionalin your leadership style to bring about changes?

DAY 19: HIGH-FIVE MOMENTS

In 1998, with $100,000 of their own money, Richard Tait and WhitAlexander, two former Microsoft employees, decided to create anew board game. Tait came up with the idea when he and his wifewere playing games at the home of their friends. The couple easilywon Pictionary and were trounced at Scrabble. Pondering how hefelt as the winner of one game and loser of another, Tait thoughtit would be ideal to play a game that involved different skills sothat everyone had a chance to shine. That type of game would bemore fun, and it would bring people together rather than alienatethem in a winner-take-all battle. Tait persuaded Alexander to joinhim, and together they created the game Cranium.

Cranium became the fastest-selling independent board gamein history, selling more than either Pictionary or Trivial Pursuithad in its first year. The company (also named Cranium) went onto shatter industry records by creating games that won the ToyIndustry Association’s Toy of the Year game award four out of thelast five years. It has sold more than 15 million games in ten lan-guages and thirty countries. In 2005, while the toy industry’s unitsales were down 6 percent, Cranium’s sales were up 50 percent.

To help fund Cranium’s growth and increase distribution,Tait and Alexander persuaded CEO Howard Schultz of Starbucksto invest in the new venture and to distribute the game throughStarbucks locations. Schultz liked the tie-in with Starbucks’s


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mission to create community. Cranium brought people together,and it increased the connection among them by making everyonefeel like a winner.

Tait and Alexander designed the game based on Harvard pro-fessor Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. Gardnerhas identified at least seven forms of intelligence ranging frommusical and linguistic to logical-mathematical. Cranium incorpo-rates challenges that favor each intelligence in hopes that everyonewill win part of the game and experience a high-five moment.

Connection is the key to Cranium’s success. Take, for example,Cranium’s Conga, a game that gets players to learn more abouteach other, including silly things such as how many marshmallowsfit in someone’s mouth. One New York Times reporter observed,“When Tait describes the Cranium mission, he often sounds lesslike a game maker and more like a sociologist diagnosing the illsof an atomized society.” Inc. magazine opined that “in their mindsthey weren’t selling a game but a social experience.” In the wordsof Tait, “we [want] everyone to high-five their teammate at leastonce each game . . . I know that’s not a very scientific metric, butthat’s what we’re going for.” Alexander adds, “We want people toleave a game feeling enriched and better-connected.”

Cranium is just as passionate and intentional about increasingconnection among its employees. Cranium’s inspiring identity is tobring people together in a world that has less free time and moredistractions that inhibit connection. Another aspect of Cranium’sinspiring identity is that the company gives back to the community,frequently donating games to people in need. In addition, everyemployee gets ten games to give away to family members and fiveto donate to charities. Cranium employees are proud of their com-pany, not only for its reputation as an innovator but also for itsworthwhile mission and its heart.

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Always the passionate leader, Tait reads two hundred cus-tomer e-mails and letters on an average day and shares some ofthem with employees. Celeste Welch wrote about the fun herfamily has had playing Cranium’s games after her two-year-olddaughter, Valerie, was diagnosed in 2005 with a brain tumor. Evenduring the difficult times, Cranium’s games Cariboo, Hullabaloo,and Balloon Lagoon kept Valerie, her parents, and her three sis-ters laughing and smiling. According to Celeste, “[Our kids]never really went through a time of crying or confusion. Really,it’s our faith in God that’s getting us through. But the Craniumgames kept that laughter in the house.”

Human value is present in Cranium’s workplace culture. Newemployees go through an orientation program to learn more aboutCranium’s values, including its goal to produce every Cranium toy orgame to meet the CHIFF standard (that means it is clever, high qual-ity, innovative, friendly, and fun). The company throws a Gong Partyfor new employees. The company pays 100 percent of employeehealth, dental, and vision care premiums. All of the corner officeswith nice views are unoccupied so that everyone can enjoy them.Each employee chooses his or her own title. Tait’s title is Grand PooBah, and Alexander’s is Chief Noodler. Other fun titles include EdgarAllen P. O. (the head of purchasing) and Head of the Hive (the headof public relations who creates buzz about Cranium’s products).

In a culture such as Cranium’s, knowledge flow is high. Theapproachable and unpretentious Tait and Alexander exemplifyleaders who are more interested in “getting it right” than personally“being right.” The collaboration and informality they encouragemake people more likely to share their knowledge with decisionmakers.

The high degree of connection that is fostered by Craniumproducts and in Cranium’s workplace culture contributes to its


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superior performance and industry leadership. “What Craniumdid was it rewrote the rules,” says toy industry analyst Chris Byrne.“There’s a warmth . . . from the interpersonal interaction thatcomes from Cranium. People are hungry for that kind of connect-edness.” I couldn’t agree more.1

APPLICATION

In the words of Cranium co-founder and Chief Noodler WhitAlexander, “we want people to leave a game feeling enriched andbetter-connected.” Would you be inspired to work for a companythat aspires to bring people together? Does your organization havean inspiring mission or values? Are your colleagues proud to workfor your company? If they are, why? If not, is there some aspect ofthe company they should be proud of? Could your company helpimprove connection in the world?

DAY 20: TRANSFORMING THE CULTURE OF KIM

Nestlé Waters North America sells fifteen brands of water, includ-ing Arrowhead, Ozarka, Poland Spring, Perrier, and Pellegrino.It has 7,500 employees. Like many companies, it has experi-enced a number of mergers and acquisitions that combinedorganizations with different cultures. In 1992, Kim Jeffery wasappointed president of Nestlé Waters North America. His chal-lenge was to create a cohesive culture where everyone felt like amember of the same team. This was no small challenge giventhat the culture Jeffery inherited had been described as “everyman for himself.”

In 1994, Jeffery received a wake-up call from a 360-degreeperformance review. While he viewed himself as an engagingleader who inspired people, the review made it clear that peoplethought of him as abrupt and unapproachable. Many feared him.

Kim believed that putting people in jobs they liked, where theyworked alongside people they liked, would bring out the best inthem. He also knew that creating the right culture at Nestlé Waterswas necessary for the organization to prosper. Furthermore, whenthe day came for him to leave the firm, he wanted to be sure that apositive culture would be his legacy.

The performance review let Jeffery know that the reality of hisleadership style didn’t live up to what he desired. He was effectivelycommitting self-sabotage. Now that he understood the situation,he committed himself to fix it. Through ongoing constructive feed-back and executive coaching, Jeffery changed. His change, in turn,became the catalyst to increase connection.

The inspiring identity that motivates people at Nestlé WatersNorth America is the organization’s culture, especially that it is aplace where people are truly valued. Kim’s actions reinforce thismessage. On one occasion, he learned that Jorge Crespo, a limodriver who regularly drove the firm’s employees, had a daughterwho was diagnosed with meningitis and that Jorge didn’t haveinsurance to cover the medical costs to treat her. Jeffery wrote ablank check, gave it to Jorge, and told him to “take care of yourdaughter and fill in the amount afterward.”

On his way to interview with Nestlé Waters in 1997, DimitriosSmyrnios learned from Jorge how Jeffery helped him pay for hisdaughter’s medical treatments. Hearing the story gave Smyrnios afavorable impression of the company and its president. He subse-quently joined the firm and is currently vice president of the homeand office division. In 1999, Smyrnios followed Kim’s example. He


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demonstrated how much the Nestlé Waters’ culture values peoplewhen he approved substantial bonuses to employees in the Floridadivision despite the division’s underperformance after HurricaneGeorge hit the state. The generous bonuses were paid to thankthose employees for their tireless efforts to provide bottled waterto hurricane victims.

Employees are proud of the organization’s active involvementin local community programs such as Kids in Crisis and the Boysand Girls Club. The firm provides both financial support and vol-unteers. Jeffery and his wife led a fund-raising campaign thatraised $7.5 million for Kids in Crisis.

Nestlé Waters North America benefits from human value be-cause it has an informal, friendly culture in which colleagues focustheir competitive energy on external competitors rather than onone another. Human value is increased by Kim’s belief in work/lifebalance. When he isn’t traveling, Jeffery is usually in the office by8:30 a.m. and home by 6:00 p.m.

Potential new employees are carefully screened to ensure theyshare the company’s values. Every potential new hire has to spendan eight-hour-day riding with a water route delivery person dur-ing which the candidate is closely scrutinized. Only candidateswho treat everyone with respect, regardless of rank, make the cutat Nestlé Waters. The firm’s culture is reinforced through trainingprograms that clarify values and emphasize the personal stories ofparticipants to help them see where the values apply in their day-to-day work.

Knowledge flow is present in the firm’s culture because of theopen-door, informal environment and embrace of communica-tion outside the chain of command. The firm’s training programsincrease knowledge flow by bringing people together from vari-ous parts of the organization.

WEEK 4

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Despite aggressive moves into the water market by Pepsiand Coca-Cola, Nestlé Waters North America continues to lead theindustry with reported revenues of $2.74 billion and 27.9 percentmarket share in 2004, the latest year reported. Jeffery and NestléWaters North America have come a long way since the 1994 per-formance review that set him in motion to improve his organiza-tion’s culture. In a recent article Jeffery identified connection asone reason for his organization’s success when he said, “Having agreat culture is a competitive advantage because we have peoplepulling all the oars together and a common mission.”1

APPLICATION

Jeffery increased inspiring identity by making Nestlé Waters NorthAmerica a company with a reputation for a caring culture. Heincreased human value by scrutinizing potential employees to becertain they showed respect to all people regardless of their rankin the organization. He increased knowledge flow by embracingcommunication outside the chain of command. If you had a 360-degree performance review today, what do you think it would com-municate? Would it show that you care about your colleagues andthat you build inspiring identity, human value, and knowledge flowwithin your organization? Would you be willing to make the kindsof changes Kim Jeffery made?


194

A

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A strong sense of connection among people in an organization firesthem up and improves both individual and organizational per-formance. The lack of connection will gradually burn them out.Research—by sociologists, psychologists, and neuroscientists—andanecdotal evidence point to these conclusions. So does researchby well-respected companies such as Gallup and the CorporateExecutive Board that measures engagement and connection inorganizations. The stories of leaders of businesses, nations, sportsteams, and social sector organizations illustrate that connectionboosts performance.

Inspiring identity, human value, and knowledge flow are theelements in a culture to increase connection and help peopleand organizations thrive. These elements meet deeply rootedhuman needs for respect, recognition, belonging, autonomy, per-sonal growth, and meaning. The elements in a culture that createconnection are present when people exhibit the universal characterstrengths celebrated by moral philosophers and religious leadersover the ages.

The historian David McCullough was right when he observed:

BUILD A FIRE THAT LASTS

CONCLUSION

While there are indeed great, often unfathomable forces in his-

tory before which even the most exceptional of individuals

seem insignificant, the wonder is how often events turn upon

a single personality, or the quality we call character.1

The legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden made akeen observation when he stated one of his favorite maxims: “abil-ity may get you to the top, but only character will keep youthere.”2 The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. stated in his “I Havea Dream” speech, “I have a dream that my four little children willone day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colorof their skin but by the content of their character.”

Indeed, character development and connection among thepeople of the world are critical to our future. So much is at risk ifwe ignore them.

The need to increase connection and strengthen character inthe business world could not be greater, given the fact that a merequarter of Americans feel connected and engaged at work, we facean impending labor shortage in some sectors, and the ongoingglobalization of labor threatens the loss of jobs overseas in others.The benefits of increased productivity and innovation await thoseorganizations that unleash the power of connection. A connec-tion culture is truly a win-win outcome for organizations and theindividuals who inhabit them.

WHAT LEGACY WILL YOU LEAVE?

All of us, at some point in our lives, wonder how we will beremembered. What legacy will we leave? An outstanding exampleof an intentional connector I presented earlier was John Wooden.


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Coach Wooden’s legacy and his connection with his players becomeclear when you consider Bill Walton’s reflections written in 2000about the impact that Wooden had and still has on Walton’s life:

[Coach Wooden] taught us life at UCLA . . . I call him on the

phone constantly and go see him as often as possible . . . I always

sit . . . as close as physically possible to this remarkable spirit . . .

at 89 . . . he is still the same teacher, the same positive force, the

same person we would like to become, only better . . . I’ve taken

my kids to his house, the same house he lived in since 1973 . . .

his former players . . . always ask him to let us put a financial

package together for him so he can buy his mansion on a hill . . .

but every time he tells us no. The joy and happiness in John

Wooden’s life comes today, as it always has, from the success

of others. He regularly tells us what he learned from his two

favorite teachers, Abraham Lincoln and Mother Teresa, is

that a life not lived for others is a life not lived . . . I thank

John Wooden every day for his selfless gifts, his lessons, his

time, his vision, and especially his patience. This is why we

call him coach.3

Who wouldn’t want to have a legacy like that! In an interviewa few years ago, Wooden expressed that although he appreciatesthe many trophies, awards, and honors he received over his longand successful career, the trophies he is most proud of are themen that his former players became.4 In other words, the charac-ter strengths that Wooden sees today in the men he helped shapeare his legacy and a source of joy to him.

How will your friends and family remember you? How aboutyour colleagues? If you are a highly visible leader, how will historyremember you? It’s important to consider your legacy early in life

CONCLUSION

197

when there is sufficient time to be intentional about living in away that’s consistent with how you want to be remembered. AsJason Pankau likes to say,“Live with the end in mind.” A life coachfor executives, he frequently finds that many of the people hecoaches reach the latter years of their careers before they realizethey didn’t live with the end in mind. Then they typically try torepair the damage done from their earlier actions.

How about you? Will you be remembered as an intentionalconnector such as John Wooden, George Washington, or FrancesHesselbein, or will you be remembered as an intentional or unin-tentional disconnector such as Howell Raines, Al Dunlap, orFrederick the Great during the latter years of his reign?

Evidence suggests that leaders of enduring organizations taketheir legacies seriously. In 1983 Royal Dutch/Shell Group studiedtwenty-seven companies that had survived more than one hun-dred years, were still important in their industries, and continuedto have strong corporate identities. One finding was that managersof these organizations believed it was important to leave theirorganizations in as good as or better shape than when they becamemanagers. These managers also put a higher priority on peoplethan on assets. Keeping the team together was more significant tothem than the type of work they did. In fact, each of the twenty-seven companies had changed its business portfolio at least once.For example, the chemical company DuPont began as a gunpow-der company, and Mitsui of Japan began as a drapery shop beforeit moved successively into banking, mining, and manufacturing.5

Effectively, these managers thought of themselves as trustees orstewards, who had a responsibility to the current and future mem-bers of their work communities. Wise leaders appreciate the con-tributions of the people in their organizations and therefore havea sense of stewardship toward those people.


198

The root cause of leaders who leave less desirable legacies canoften be traced to a failure of character. Bill Thrall, Bruce McNichol,and Ken McElrath in their book, The Ascent of a Leader, describe thepattern of leaders who advance in responsibility without havingdeveloped sufficient character strengths to prepare for leadership.

Many men and women of influence discover that leader-

ship is like a ladder—a challenging and unpredictable climb,

often stable at the bottom and unpredictable and shaky at the

top. From the bottom, life at the top looks appealing, even

alluring, and many leaders attack the ladder with gusto, confi-

dent that they possess what it takes to conquer the rungs.

Yet, when these leaders reach positions of authority,

unforeseen instability begins to surface. Such issues as the pres-

sure of success, the temptation of privilege, the demands of fol-

lowers, and the isolation of leadership leave deep depressions

on the rungs—caused by the white-knuckle grip of the leader.

Many look for a way to stabilize their situation, but too many

leaders come crashing down. And when they land, few are

there to help. Some will even laugh.6

According to one extensive study, more than 70 percent ofleaders do not finish well.7 This should not be a surprise. Absentstrength of character and the self-knowledge that comes from stay-ing connected with others, leaders set themselves up for failure.

Connection and character protect leaders from falling intothe traps of leadership failure. Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries, thedirector of Insead’s Global Leadership Center, professor of lead-ership development, and practicing psychoanalyst, has devotedhis life to studying CEOs. Kets de Vries has noted that too manyleaders lead lives of chronic imbalance and delude themselves

CONCLUSION

199

into believing they don’t. Habitual imbalance in a leader’s life notonly hurts the leader but also hurts his family and the organiza-tion he leads. The leader often surrounds himself with yes-menand becomes blinded by narcissism. These patterns lead to exces-sive risk taking to ease the feelings of guilt, boredom, and depres-sion that stalk him. Kets de Vries describes a healthy leader assomeone who, among other things, has “the capacity to establishand maintain healthy relationships” (in other words, a healthyleader is an intentional connector).8

The person who becomes relationally isolated and thus lacksconnection with others during his work career will have few fam-ily members and friends who will want to spend time with himlater in life. The failure to connect with family and friends willeventually calcify, making it nearly impossible to establish later on.The absence of connection is taken as rejection, and bitterness canbecome permanently attached to the broken relationship. Toomany people succumb to this fate that could have been avoided.

IT BEGINS WITH YOU

In the end, you are the key to increasing connection and avoidingthe fate of those who fail to connect with others. A connectionculture is constructed one person at a time. Each of us has theresponsibility to grow in character and become an intentionalconnector. This applies especially to leaders because they are in aposition to be people developers and others may emulate them.Organizations blessed with such leaders have many other peoplein the organization who are intentional connectors too.

My hope is that this book has made a modest contributionto persuading you and encouraging you to be intentional about


200

increasing connection and developing character strengths. Maythe words of Edmund Burke, the British statesman and humani-tarian, encourage each of us in that endeavor: “the only thing nec-essary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”9

Burke’s comments apply to the evils in society as well as the evilwithin ourselves. To bring out the best in yourself and others, Iencourage you to put into practice the suggestions offered through-out this book and to share this book with others who would bene-fit from its message.

With that, I want to wish you the very best of connectionswith your family members, your friends and neighbors, your col-leagues at work, and your fellow members in society. And may thestrength of these connections bless you and help you maintainthe fire of inspiration, energy, and enthusiasm all of the days ofyour life.


! Good character increases connection, which in turn improvesindividual and organizational performance.

! The character of individuals often changes history, and sus-tainable superior performance isn’t achievable without goodcharacter.

! With low employee engagement and the coming labor short-age, the time is now to improve the character strengths ofpeople in organizations and the connection among them.

CONCLUSION

201

! Because few people are intentional about developing characterstrengths, most fail to leave a legacy of which they can be gen-uinely proud. John Wooden is an excellent model to follow. Hedeveloped his character and the character of his basketballplayers, many of whom have written in books and articlesabout Wooden’s positive impact on them as people.

! What do you want your legacy to be with your family andfriends, your coworkers, and the people in your community?Are you on course to achieve the legacy you desire? If not,what must you do to get on course?

! So what? Increasing connection in a culture happens oneperson at a time. Just as developing character strengths andconnection requires us to be intentional, developing thelegacy we desire requires intentionality. Will you be inten-tional, or will you just drift through life? Remember thatwhen we drift, it is always toward character weakness. Eachof us needs to improve our character and encourage othersto do the same. Our future depends on it.


202

AAPPPPEENNDDIIXX AA

QUESTIONS TO ASSESS ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

AND CONNECTION

Do your closest coworkers know you as a person, including your life

outside work, what’s important to you, and what talents and skills you

possess?

Do your closest coworkers care about you as a person, including

what’s happening in your life outside work?

Do your closest coworkers know the major events in your life that

shaped your beliefs and who you have become?

Do you know the major events in the lives of your closest cowork-

ers and how they shaped their beliefs and who they have become?

What kind of activities could be planned for your team to facilitate

getting to know one another better?

Do your closest coworkers appreciate your strengths?

Do your closest coworkers share their personal trials and triumphs

and support one another?

Do you receive praise and recognition for your work? How?

Do you have someone at work who is a mentor to you and who

wants to help you grow? If not, who would you like to have as a mentor

and why?

Do you feel your supervisor makes certain that you have work that

appropriately challenges your skills? Explain.

What type of training do you receive to help you develop profes-

sionally?

Are you continuously learning and growing at work?

Would you classify your closest coworkers as trusted colleagues or

competitors? What makes you feel one way or the other?

203

Do people at work feel it’s safe to be who they really are, or do they

put on an act to fit in?

How is your compensation determined, and do you feel the process

is fair?

Do you understand how your job performance is assessed, and do

you feel the process is fair?

How often do you receive performance reviews? Are they given with

sufficient regularity and with sufficient substance and clarity to help you

grow?

Are you treated fairly in the areas of compensation, promotions,

job assignments, or other aspects of your job? Explain.

Is your supervisor open with you so that you know what he or she

thinks and believes about work issues that affect you? If you have asked

for more information, how was that request treated?

Does your supervisor consistently seek your opinions, listen to you,

and carefully consider your views before making decisions on important

issues that affect you and your work? Do your coworkers?

Do you consistently seek your coworkers’ opinions, listen to them,

and carefully consider their views before making decisions on impor-

tant issues that affect them and their work?

Are you encouraged to think of ways to improve your organization?

Are you encouraged to stay informed about developments outside

your work environment that affect your organization (for example, devel-

opments in your industry and among your competitors)? What might

you do to keep “your eyes and ears open”?

What is the process at work to systematically keep people informed

and provide them an open, honest, and safe forum to share their views?

How has your organization’s history and important events and sto-

ries shaped what it has become today?

Is there a group that gets together to talk about a vision for the

future as it relates to your work? Does the group include members from

across the organization?

APPENDIX A

204

Have you been a part of a discussion about shared beliefs as they

relate to your workplace (for example, obeying the law, being honest in

communications, helping one another, promptly returning colleagues’

phone calls, etc.)?

Do you and your colleagues share a sense of importance about the

work done by your organization?

Do you feel your work is important? Why?

Are your colleagues proud of your organization, its reputation, its

work, and its accomplishments? Why?

Do your colleagues have high standards of excellence for their work?

Are some people considered to be and treated like stars and others

thought of and treated like second-class citizens? Explain your answer.

Do any of your coworkers ever make you feel inferior to them? If so,

how?

Do you understand how decisions are made, and do you feel they

are fair? Explain your answer.

What other aspects are right, wrong, or missing in your environ-

ment at work?

How do you feel about your future in your organization?

Based on your answers to these questions, where do you see areas

that require improvement?

APPENDIX A

205

NNOOTTEESS

Although I have not counted them, the interviews, books, articles, and speeches I con-sulted while doing research for this book had to number well over one thousand.Throughout the book I added notes to give credit to individuals whose ideas influencedme and where I thought readers might be interested in following up on some of my sourcematerial. I did not note sources where I believed the information was, for the most part,common knowledge to the average reader of books and periodicals about managementand leadership or readily available in reference materials such as encyclopedias. If there areany inadvertent errors or misinterpretations of the materials consulted, the sole responsi-bility is mine.

—Michael Lee Stallard

IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn1. Based on surveys of more than one million employees, Gallup research has

reported employee engagement in America has fluctuated between 25 percentand 29 percent since 2000. See James K. Clifton, “Engaging Your Employees: SixKeys to Understanding the New Workplace,” http://shrm.org/foundation/engag-ing.asp, and John H. Fleming, Curt Coffman, and James K. Harter, “Manage YourHuman Sigma,” Harvard Business Review (July-August 2005): 107–14. I chose topresent the 25 percent figure in light of other research (see note 5 below) thatindicates employee engagement may be even lower. Whatever the case, the pointhere is that the overwhelming majority of workers are disengaged.

2. David G. Myers, American Paradox: Spiritual Hunger in an Age of Plenty (NewHaven: Yale University Press, 2001).

3. Robert E. Lane, The Loss of Happiness in Market Democracies (New Haven: YaleUniversity Press, 2000).

4. David Brooks, “One Nation, Slightly Divisible,” Atlantic Online, December 2001,http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2001/12/brooks.htm.

5. Corporate Leadership Council, “Driving Performance and Retention ThroughEmployee Engagement” (Washington, D.C.: Corporate Executive Board, 2004). Anexecutive summary of the reports is available at http://www.corporateleadership-council.com/CLC/1,1283,00Public_Display115952,00.html.

6. Several books have influenced my thinking on the different personality types andthe right brain-directed powers of intuition, including the following: Daniel H.Pink, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future (New York:Penguin, 2005); David G. Myers, Intuition: Its Powers and Perils (New Haven: YaleUniversity Press, 2002); Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking WithoutThinking (New York: Little, Brown, 2005); David Keirsey, Please Understand Me II:Temperament, Character, Intelligence (Del Mar: Prometheus Nemesis BookCompany, 1998).

206

7. Otto Kroeger with Janet M. Thuesen, Type Talk at Work: How the 16 PersonalityTypes Determine Your Success on the Job (New York: Delacorte Press, 1992),391–98.

8. Betsy Morris, “The Best Place to Work Now,” Fortune, 11 January 2006, 79–84.9. Regina Fazio Maruca, ed., What Managers Say, What Employees Hear: Connecting

with Your Front Line (So They’ll Connect with Customers) (Westport: Praeger,2006), 131–32.

10. William C. Taylor and Polly LaBarre, “How Pixar Adds a New School of Thoughtto Disney,” New York Times, 29 January 2006, section 3, p. 3.

11. Except where noted, my basis for making the statements in this section comesfrom various conversations with individuals who work at these organizations orwho closely monitor their activities.

CChhaapptteerr 11:: TThhee CCaassee ffoorr CCoonnnneeccttiioonn aatt WWoorrkk1. See James K. Harter, Frank L. Schmidt, and Theodore L. Hayes, “Business-Unit-

Level Relationship Between Employee Satisfaction, Employee Engagement, andBusiness Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis,” Journal of Applied Psychology 87, no. 2(2002): 268–79. I will explain in subsequent paragraphs why I believe this studybased on Gallup’s Q12 questionnaire is an excellent indicator of connection.

2. Ibid. The Gallup study performed a meta-analysis on data from surveys con-ducted between 1992 and 1999. The surveys collectively included 198,524 respon-dents in 7,939 business units of 36 companies. Gallup used its 12 question GallupWorkplace Audit that measures employee engagement and compared it to severalbusiness outcomes (i.e., customer satisfaction, productivity, profit, employeeturnover, and accidents). The study concluded that the correlation betweenemployee engagement and business outcomes was substantial (corrected for inde-pendent variable measurement error yielded a correlation of .38 between employeeengagement and the set of business outcomes measured). Also note that a subse-quent study identified the relationship between employee engagement and busi-ness outcomes goes both ways (i.e., higher business outcomes produce a higherlevel of employee engagement), and that the relationship effect of positive busi-ness outcomes on employee engagement exceeded the effect of employee engage-ment on business outcomes. This doesn’t surprise me because there is a mutualrelationship between employee engagement and performance. See BenjaminSchneider, Paul J. Hanges, D. Brent Smith, and Amy Nichole Salvaggio, “WhichComes First: Employee Attitudes or Organizational Financial and MarketPerformance?” Journal of Applied Psychology 88, no. 5 (2003): 836–51.

3. Corporate Leadership Council, “Driving Performance and Retention ThroughEmployee Engagement.”

4. Hewitt Associates LLC, “The Link Between Employee Retention and BusinessResults,” Hewitt Magazine, http://was4.hewitt.com/hewitt/resource/rptspubs/hewitt_magazine/vol16_iss2/features/ezine.html.

5. Based on surveys of more than one million employees, Gallup research has reportedemployee engagement in America has fluctuated between 25 percent and 29 per-cent. See Clifton, “Engaging Your Employees: Six Keys to Understanding the NewWorkplace,” and Fleming, Coffman, and Harter, “Manage Your Human Sigma.”

NOTES

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NOTES

208

6. Corporate Leadership Council, “Driving Performance and Retention ThroughEmployee Engagement.”

7. Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton, How Full Is Your Bucket?: Positive Strategies forWork and Life (New York: Gallup Press, 2004), 33.

8. Phillip Longman, “The Global Baby Bust,” Foreign Affairs (May-June 2004):64–79.

9. Ken Dychtwald, Tamara Erickson, and Bob Morison, “It’s Time to RetireRetirement,” Harvard Business Review (March 2004): 49–57.

10. The American Workplace: Building America’s Workforce for the 21st Century(Washington, D.C.: Employment Policy Foundation, 2001).

11. Dychtwald, Erickson, and Morison, “It’s Time to Retire Retirement.”12. Sydney Finkelstein, Why Smart Executives Fail: And What You Can Learn from

Their Mistakes (New York: Portfolio, 2003).

CChhaapptteerr 22: The Science of Connection1. Edward M. Hallowell, MD, “The Human Moment at Work,” Harvard Business

Review (January-February 1999): 58–66. Also see Edward M. Hallowell, MD,Connect: 12 Vital Ties That Open Your Heart, Lengthen Your Life, and Deepen YourSoul (New York: Pantheon, 1999).

2. Joyce K. Fletcher, Judith V. Gordon, and Jean Baker Miller, “Women and theWorkplace: Applications of a Psychodynamic Theory,” American Journal ofPsychoanalysis 60, no. 3 (2000). Also see the Jean Baker Miller Training InstituteWeb site at http://www.wellesley.edu/JBMTI.

3. Most of the physiological effects of connection were sourced from EdwardHallowell’s excellent book, Connect: 12 Vital Ties That Open Your Heart, LengthenYour Life, and Deepen Your Soul, 5–9. For more recent evidence on the impact ofconnection with infants see William J. Cromie, “Of Hugs and Hormones,” HarvardUniversity Gazette, 11 June 1998, http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/1998/06.11/OfHugsandHormon.html.

4. Connection brings about positive emotions that have been determined toimprove decision making and creativity; see Barbara L. Frederickson, “The Valueof Positive Emotions,” American Scientist 91 (July-August 2003): 330–35.

5. An excellent review of the research on the factors that contribute to subjective well-being can be found at Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci, “On Happiness andHuman Potentials: A Review of Research on Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being,” ed. S. Fiske, Annual Review of Psychology 52 (Palo Alto: Annual Reviews,Inc., 2001): 141–66. This article can be accessed at http://www.psych.rochester.edu/SDT/documents/2001RyanDeci_AnnRev.pdf.

6. A. H. Maslow, “A Theory of Human Motivation,” Psychological Review 50 (1943):370–96.

7. Ibid.

CChhaapptteerr 33: The Connection Culture1. Alan Deutschman, The Second Coming of Steve Jobs (New York: Broadway Books,

2000), 251–53; Stuart Elliott, “Apple Endorses Some Achievers Who ‘ThinkDifferent,’” New York Times, 3 August 1998.

2. Doris Kearns Goodwin, No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: TheHome Front in World War II (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994), 340; EncartaEncyclopedia Online, s.v. “Aircraft Production During World War II,”http://encarta.msn.com/media_701500594_761563737_1_1/Aircraft_Production_During_World_War_II.html.

3. Barbara S. Peterson, Blue Streak: Inside jetBlue, the Upstart That Rocked anIndustry (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994), xiv.

4. Jack Mitchell, Hug Your Customers: The Proven Way to Personalize Sales andAchieve Astounding Results (New York: Hyperion, 2003), 145–46.

5. Brian Hanessian and Carlos Sierra, “Leading a Turnaround: An Interview with theChairman of D&B,” McKinsey Quarterly, no. 2 (2005).

6. Joseph Stallard (head of recruiting and training, Sewell Automotive Corporation),discussion with the author, December 2005.

7. Beth Belton, “Procter & Gamble’s Renovator-in-Chief,” Business Week Online, 11December 2002, www.busnessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/dec2002/nf20021211_7599.htm; Robert Berner, “A Catalyst and Encourager of Change,” Business WeekOnline, 7 July 2003, http://businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/03_27/b3840014_mz001.htm; Katrina Booker, “The Un-CEO,” Fortune, 16 September2002, 88–96; Cliff Peale, “The Lafley Method: Face the Facts, Think Like aCustomer,” Cincinnati Enquirer Online, 9 June 2002, http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2002/06/09/fin_the_lafley_method.html; James R. Stengel, AndreaL. Dixon, and Chris T. Allen,“Listening Begins at Home,” Harvard Business Review(November 2003): 106–16.

CChhaapptteerr 44: Connection and the Legend1. Except where noted, the material in this chapter was sourced from John Wooden

and Steve Jamison, My Personal Best: Life Lessons from an All-American Journey(New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004).

2. Tracy Pierson, “UCLA to Honor John Wooden,” 19 December 2003,http://www.medaloffreedom.com/JohnRWoodenUCLAFloor.htm.

3. Bill Walton,“John Wooden, Like UCLA, Simply the Best,” http://www.billwalton.com/wooden.html.

4. Ibid.5. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, “Appreciating the Wisdom of Wooden: As a Coach,

Brilliant. As a Man, He Means So Much More,” New York Times, 10 December2000.

6. Walton, “John Wooden, Like UCLA, Simply the Best.”7. Ibid.8. Ibid.

CChhaapptteerr 55: Trouble in Times Square1. The material from this chapter was sourced from Ken Auletta, “The Howell

Doctrine,” New Yorker, 26 July 2004; and Matthew Rose and Laurie P. Cohen,“Amid Turmoil, Top Editors Resign at New York Times,”Wall Street Journal, 6 June2003.

NOTES

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NOTES

210

CChhaapptteerr 66: The Next Step in the Evolution of Organizations1. Thanks to Mitchell Dickey for sharing his thoughts and white papers on his Tasks +

Relationships = Results model with me that helped shape my thoughts about theproblem of employee disengagement and disconnection.

2. For additional thoughts on star systems see Malcolm Gladwell, “The Talent Myth:Are Smart People Overrated?” New Yorker, 22 July 2002.

3. Thomas DeLong and Vineeta Vijayaraghavan, “Let’s Hear It for B Players,”Harvard Business Review (June 2003): 96–102.

4. Jon R. Katzenbach and Jason A. Santamaria, “Firing Up the Front Line,” HarvardBusiness Review (May 1999): 107–17.

CChhaapptteerr 77: Inspire with Identity1. Facts about the Manhattan Project were sourced from Warren Bennis and Patricia

A. Biederman.. Organizing Genius (Reading: Addison-Wesley, 1997), 204–5; DonE. Beyer, The Manhattan Project: America Makes the First Atomic Bomb (New York:Franklin Watts, 1991).

2. Richard Feynman, “Los Alamos from Below: Reminiscences 1943–1945,” http://calteches.library.caltech.edu/14/01/FeynmanLosAlamos.pdf.

3. Simon Schama, A History of Britain: At the Edge of the World, 3500 B.C.–1603 A.D.(New York: Hyperion, 2000), 266.

4. The Literature Network, King Henry V, Act 4. Scene III, http://www.online-literature.com/view.php/henryV/21?term=band%20of%20brothers.

5. Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning: An Introduction to Logotherapy (NewYork: Simon & Schuster, 1984), 82–88.

CChhaapptteerr 88: Create Meaning in Your Organization1. Keith H. Hammonds, “Michael Porter’s Big Ideas,” Fast Company, February 2001.2. David Brooks, On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (and Always Have) in the Future

Tense (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004), 220–21.3. United States Marine Corps, History Division, Who’s Who in Marine Corps

History, “Sergeant Major Daniel ‘Dan’ Joseph Daly, USMC (Deceased),”http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/Historical/Whos_Who/Daly_DJ.htm.

CChhaapptteerr 99: Delete What Devalues1. Bernard Bailyn, Ideological Origins of the American Revolution (Boston: Harvard

University Press, 1967), 202–4; Barbara W. Tuchman, The March of Folly: From Troyto Vietnam (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984), 128–231.

2. Gordon S. Wood, The Radicalism of the American Revolution (New York: Alfred A.Knopf, 1992), 6–7.

3. Brooks, On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (and Always Have) in the FutureTense, 80–81.

4. Lilia M. Cortina, Vicki J. Magley, Jill Hunter-Williams, and Regina Day Langhout,“Incivility in the Workplace: Incidence and Impact,” Journal of OccupationalHealth Psychology 6 (2001): 64–80.

5. Jerry Useem, “A Manager for All Seasons,” Fortune, 30 April 2001.

6. James MacGregor Burns, Transforming Leadership (New York: Atlantic MonthlyPress, 2003), 110–12.

7. Isser Woloch, The New Regime: Transformations of the French Civic Order,1789–1820s (New York: W. W. Norton, 1994), 432–33.

8. Louis Menand, The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America (New York:Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001), 289–306.

9. Based on author’s conversations with various officials at Goodyear.

CChhaapptteerr 1100: Dial Up the Value1. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (New York:

Harper & Row, 1990).2. For the story of how Taiichi Ohno developed Lean Manufacturing (also called the

Toyota Production System), see Maryann Keller, Collision: GM, Toyota, Volkswagenand the Race to Own the 21st Century (New York: Doubleday, 1993), 154–93.

3. Doris Kearns Goodwin, “Lessons of Presidential Leadership,” Leader to Leader 9(summer 1998): 23–30.

CChhaapptteerr 1111: Three Benefits of Knowledge Flow1. Belton, “Procter & Gamble’s Renovator-in-Chief”; Berner, “A Catalyst and

Encourager of Change”; Booker, “The Un-CEO”; Peale, “The Lafley Method: Facethe Facts, Think Like a Customer”; Stengel, Dixon, and Allen, “Listening Begins atHome”.

2. Burns, Transforming Leadership, 105–8.3. Roger Mudd, American Heritage: Great Minds of History (New York: John Wiley &

Sons, 1999), 185–96.4. Andrew S. Grove, Swimming Across (New York: Warner Books, 2002).5. Andrew S. Grove, Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That

Challenge Every Company and Career (New York: Doubleday, 1996); Richard N.Langlois and W. Edward Steinmueller, “Strategy and Circumstance: The Responseof American Firms to Japanese Competition in Semiconductors, 1980–1995,”Strategic Management Journal 21 (2000): 1163–73.

6. zaadzbeta, Quotes by David Hume, http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/David_Hume?page=1.

7. The Debate on the Constitution: Federalist and Antifederalist Speeches, Articles andLetters During the Struggle Over Ratification (New York: Library Classics of theUnited States, 1993), 3–5.

8. Ram Charan and Jerry Useem, “Why Companies Fail,” Fortune, 27 May 2002, 56.9. Goodwin, “Lessons of Presidential Leadership,” 23–30.

10. Tuchman, The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam, 11–14.11. Charan and Useem, “Why Companies Fail,” 60.12. Diane Vaughan, The Challenger Launch Decision: Risky Technology, Culture, and

Deviance at NASA (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996), 394-399.13. David E. Sanger, “Report of Loss of Shuttle Focuses on NASA Blunders and Issues

Somber Warning,” New York Times, 27 August 2003; William Langewiesche,“Columbia’s Last Flight: The Inside Story of the Investigation—and theCatastrophe It Laid Bare,” Atlantic Monthly, November 2003, 58–87.

NOTES

211

14. David Johnston, “The Warnings Were There, But Who Was Listening,” New YorkTimes, 27 July 2003.

15. Howard Gardner, Changing Minds: The Art and Science of Changing Our Own andOther People’s Minds (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2004), 208; DavidRock and Jeffrey Schwartz, “The Neuroscience of Leadership,” Strategy + Business(summer 2006): 71–80.

16. Michael D. Doubler, Closing with the Enemy: How GIs Fought the War in Europe,1944–1945 (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1995), 31–62; Mudd,American Heritage Great Minds of History, 195–98. Please note that the sourcesreport different spellings of Curtis Cullen’s name and different locations for hishometown (Chicago or New York City).

17. Omar N. Bradley, A Soldier’s Story (New York: Henry Holt, 1951), 342.18. Mudd, American Heritage: Great Minds of History, 195–98.19. Based on author’s conversations with Starbucks executives.20. David S. Landis, The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and

Some Are So Poor (New York: W. W. Norton, 1998), 93–98; Dinesh D’Souza, What’sSo Great About America (Washington, D.C.: Regnery, 2002), 50–52.

21. Schneider, Hanges, Smith, and Salvaggio, “Which Comes First: EmployeeAttitudes or Organizational Financial and Market Performance?” 836–51.

CChhaapptteerr 1122: Increase the Flow1. The author was formerly an executive of a wholly owned subsidiary of the Charles

Schwab Corporation and made these observations during the time of his employ-ment.

2. Ethan M. Rasiel and Paul N. Friga, The McKinsey Mind (New York: McGraw-Hill,2001), 76–79.

3. Ibid.4. Daniel A. Wren and Ronald G. Greenwood, Management Innovators: The People

and Ideas That Have Shaped Modern Business (New York: Oxford University Press,1998), 231.

5. Clayton M. Christensen, The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies CauseGreat Firms to Fail (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1997), xiv.

6. James Montier, “Are Two Heads Better Than One?” Dresdner WassersteinSecurities Limited (2004), quoted in John Mauldin, Outside the Box 1, no. 5, 11October 2004.

7. Richard Dowis, The Lost Art of the Great Speech: How to Write It, How to Deliver It(New York: AMA Publications, 2000), 161.

8. For an excellent case in defense of hierarchy see Harold J. Leavitt, Top Down: WhyHierarchies Are Here to Stay and How to Manage Them More Efficiently (Boston:Harvard Business School Press, 2004).

9. Joseph Nocera, A Piece of the Action: How the Middle Class Joined the Money Class(New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994), 155–60.

CChhaapptteerr 1144: The Journey to Connection1. Noah Riner, “’06 Welcomes Class of ’09,” Dartmouth Review, 20 September 2005.2. Reggie Van Lee, Lisa Fabish, and Nancy McGaw, “The Value of Corporate Values,”

Strategy + Business (Summer 2005).

NOTES

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CChhaapptteerr 1155: Developing Character Strengths and Connection1. Public Agenda, 1999, “Kids These Days ’99: What Americans Really Think About

the Next Generation,” 4, (based on Public Agenda’s survey of 1,005 adults).2. William Damon, Bringing in a New Era in Character Education (Palo Alto: Hoover

Institution Press, 2002), viii.3. David Rock and Jeffrey Schwartz, “The Neuroscience of Leadership,” Strategy +

Business (Summer 2006): 71–80.4. Christopher Peterson and Martin E. P. Seligman, Character Strengths and Virtues:

A Handbook and Classification (Washington, D.C.: American PsychologicalAssociation; New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), 51–52; Martin E. P.Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, “Positive Psychology: An Introduction,”American Psychologist 55 (2000): 5–14.

5. Peterson and Seligman, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook andClassification, 28n.

6. Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (New York: RandomHouse, 1950).

7. William Lee Miller, Lincoln’s Virtues: An Ethical Biography (New York: Alfred A.Knopf, 2002).

8. Charles de Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws (New York: Cambridge UniversityPress, 1989).

9. Carolly Erickson, The First Elizabeth (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1983), 171–73,315.

10. James R. Gaines, An Evening in the Palace of Reason: Bach Meets Frederick the Greatin the Age of Enlightenment (New York: Fourth Estate, 2005), 248.

11. Steve Reinemund, chairman and CEO, PepsiCo, 7 June 2006 interview by DavidMiller, Yale Center for Faith and Culture, Greenwich Leadership Forum,Greenwich, CT.

12. Malcolm Gladwell, “The Cellular Church,” New Yorker, 12 September 2005, 60–67.13. Christina Hoff Summers, “How Moral Education Is Finding Its Way Back into

America’s Schools,” in Bringing in a New Era in Character Education, ed. WilliamDamon (Palo Alto: Hoover Institution Press, 2002), 33.

14. Art Kleiner, “Karen Stephenson’s Quantum Theory of Trust,” Strategy + Business,issue 29 (fourth quarter 2002), 1–14; also see Malcolm Gladwell, “Designs forWorking: Why Your Bosses Want to Turn Your New Office into GreenwichVillage,” New Yorker, 11 December 2000, 60–70.

WWeeeekk 11Day 1: French Hero of the American Revolution

1. The following sources were used in writing this day’s entry: Harlow Giles Unger,Lafayette (Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2002); Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. and JohnS. Bowman, eds., The Almanac of American History (New York: G. P. Putnam’sSons, 1983),126.; Marian Klamkin, The Return of Lafayette (New York: CharlesScribner’s Sons, 1975), 1–7, 193.

Day 2: Restoring the Glory1. The following sources were used in writing this day’s entry: Betsy Morris, “The

Accidental CEO,” Fortune Online, 9 June 2003, http://www.fortune.com/fortune

NOTES

213

/print/o,115935,457272,00.html; Olga Kharif, “Anne Mulcahy Has Xerox by theHorns,” Business Week Online, 29 May 2003, http://www.businessweek.com/tech-nology/content/may23/tc20030529_1642_tc111.htm; Barbara Rose, “FirmsForced to Raise Offers to Retain Top Talent,” Greenwich Time, 8 January 2006.

Day 3: The Shot Heard Around the World1. The following sources were used in writing this day’s entry: Phil Jackson and

Hugh Delehanty, Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior (NewYork: Hyperion, 1995), 15–22; Phil Jackson, The Last Season: A Team in Search ofIts Soul (New York: Penguin Press, 2004), 242–59.

Day 4: Soldier of Peace1. The following sources were used in writing this day’s entry: Howard Gardner and

Emma Laskin, Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership (New York:HarperCollins, 1995), 148–63; Carl Joachim Hambro, Nobel Peace PrizePresentation Speech—George C. Marshall, http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1953/press.html; Charles Colson with Harold Fickett, The GoodLife: Seeking Purpose, Meaning, and Truth in Your Life (Wheaton, IL: TyndaleHouse, 2005), 5; Geoffrey C. Ward, American Originals: The Private Worlds of SomeSingular Men & Women (New York: Random House, 1994), 184–90.

Day 5: Hug Your Customers™

1. Based on a series of conversations between the author and Jack Mitchell and fromJack Mitchell, Hug Your Customers: The Proven Way to Personalize Sales andAchieve Astounding Results.

WWeeeekk 22Day 6: A Most Unlikely Turnaround

1. Schama, A History of Britain: At the Edge of the World, 3500 B.C.–1603 A.D. (NewYork: Miramax Books) 331–90.

Day 7: Enlightened Monarch?1. The following sources were used in writing this day’s entry: Burns, Leadership, 10,

27–28; Gaines, Evening in the Palace of Reason, 194–212, 245–48.

Day 8: First in Their Hearts1. The following sources were used in writing this day’s entry: Philip Kunhardt Jr.,

Philip Kunhardt III, and Peter W. Kunhardt,“The Heroic Posture,” in The AmericanPresident, videocassette (Alexandria, VA: PBS Home Video: Warner Home Video,2000); George Washington’s Rules of Civility & Decent Behavour In Company andConversation, (Bedford, Maine: Applewood Books, 1988); Edward Lengel, e-mailmessage to the author, 8 April 2005; Bill Moyers, A World of Ideas, ed. Betty SueFlowers (New York: Doubleday, 1989), 8–9, 229; Joseph J. Ellis, His Excellency:George Washington (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004), xiv.

NOTES

214

Day 9: Reconnecting a Nation1. The following sources were used in writing this day’s entry: William J. Bennett,

The Moral Compass: A Companion to The Book of Virtues (New York: Simon &Schuster, 1995) 687-690; Jay Winik, April 1865: The Month That Saved America(New York: HarperCollins, 2002), 183–91, 362–63; Ward, American Originals: ThePrivate Worlds of Some Singular Men & Women.

Day 10: Connection to the Cause1. David McCullough, Brave Companions: Portraits in History (New York: Prentice

Hall, 1992), 37–51.

WWeeeekk 33Day 11: Community Catalyst

1. Howard Schultz and Dori Jones Yang, Pour Your Heart into It: How Starbucks Builta Company One Cup at a Time (New York: Hyperion, 1997).

Day 12: The Business of The Body Shop1. The following sources were used in writing this day’s entry: Bo Burlingham, “This

Woman Has Changed Business Forever,” Inc.com, June1990, http://inc.com/mag-azine/19900601/5201.html; Beth Carney, “Toning Up The Body Shop,” BusinessWeek Online, 18 May 2005, http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/may2005/nf20050518_6631_db016.htm?chan=search.

Day 13: More Than an Oracle1. The following sources were used in writing this day’s entry: Monica Langley, “In

Tough Times for CEOs, They Head to Warren Buffet’s Table,” Wall Street Journal,1 November 14, 2003; Susan Pulliam and Karen Richardson, “Warren BuffettUnplugged,” Wall Street Journal, weekend edition, 12–13 November 2005;Anthony Bianco, “The Warren Buffett You Don’t Know,” Business Week Online, 15July 1999, http://www.businessweek.com/1999/99_27/b3636001.htm?scriptFramed; Carol Loomis, “The Value Machine,” Fortune, 20 February 2001,www.fortune.com/fortune/subs/print/0,15935,373944,00.html; Andy Serwer,“The Oracle of Everything,” Fortune Online, 27 October 2002,http://fortune.com/subs/print/0,15935,389954,00.html; also see the BerkshireHathaway’s Owner’s Manual, http://www.berkshirehathaway.com.

Day 14: Ritz-Carlton Character and Culture1. The following sources were used in writing this day’s entry: Author’s conversa-

tions with and e-mails from Ritz-Carlton employees; http://www.ritzcarlton.com;Matt Damsker, “Putting on the Ritz,” HR Innovator, March 2004, 37–43.

Day 15: Peter Drucker’s Kind of Leader1. The following sources were used in writing this day’s entry: John A. Byrne,

“Profiting from the Nonprofits,” Business Week, 26 March 1990, 66–74; SallyHelgesen, The Female Advantage: Women’s Ways of Leadership (New York:

NOTES

215

Doubleday, 1995), 71–103; Ani Hadjian, “Follow the Leader,” Fortune, 27November 1995, 96; Frances Hesselbein, “The Power of Civility,” Leader to Leader5 (Summer 1997), http:www.leadertoleader.org/leaderbooks/121/summer97/fh.htl.

WWeeeekk 44Day 16: Dr. Fred’s INN

1. Fred Epstein, M.D., and Joshua Horwitz, If I Get to Five: What Children Can TeachUs About Courage and Character (New York: Henry Holt, 2003).

Day 17: Purpose-Driven Pastor1. Gladwell, “The Cellular Church,” 60–67.

Day 18: Patriot Playbook1. The following sources were used in writing this day’s entry: Judy Battista,“Patriots

Adhere to Bottom Line to Stay on Top,” New York Times, 8 August 2004; CharlesStein, “Bill Belichick CEO,” Boston Globe, 28 January 2004; Alex Timiraos, “Pat’sCoach Talks Leadership at BC,” The Heights, 9 April 2004; Terry McDonell,“Quality of Effort,” Sports Illustrated, 12 December 2005, 11; Charles P. Pierce,“The Ultimate Teammate,” Sports Illustrated, 12 December 2005, 76–84.

Day 19: High-Five Moments1. The following sources were used in writing this day’s entry: Julie Bick, “Inside the

Smartest Little Company in America,” Inc., January 2002, http://inc.com/maga-zine/20020101/23798.html; Clive Thompson, “The Play’s the Thing,” New YorkTimes Magazine, 28 November 2004; “The Cranium Story: From Personal Missionto Global Movement,” http://www.cranium.com; Paula Bock, “Playing for Funand Profit,” Seattle Times, 26 May 2006; Stephanie Dunnewind,“Seattle’s CraniumIs Winning Awards with Innovative, Entertaining Play for All Ages,” Seattle Times,28 February 2004; Bruce Horovitz, “Cranium Guys Have Their Inner Child onSpeed Dial,” USA Today, 8 May 2006.

Day 20: Transforming the Culture of Kim1. The following sources were used in writing this day’s entry: Cynthia Coulson,

“Kim Jeffery’s Nestlé Waters Bottles Water Values,” Greenwich Magazine, January2003, 72–86; also see information at http://www.nestle-watersna.com.

CCoonncclluussiioonn: Build a Fire That Lasts1. McCullough, Brave Companions: Portraits in History (New York: Simon &

Schuster), xiv.2. John Wooden with Steve Jamison, Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and

Reflections On and Off the Court (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997), 197.3. Walton, “John Wooden, Like UCLA, Simply the Best.”4. Focus on the Family, 2004, “Coach Wooden: Timeless Wisdom,” CD-ROM.5. Arie de Geus, “The Living Company,” Harvard Business Review (March–April

1997): 51–59.6. Bill Thrall, Bruce McNichol, and Ken McElrath, The Ascent of a Leader: How

NOTES

216

NOTES

217

Extraordinary Relationships Develop Extraordinary Character and Influence (SanFrancisco: Jossey-Bass, 1999), 17.

7. Dr. J. Robert Clinton, “Listen Up Leaders! Forewarned Is Forearmed!” unpub-lished study, 1992. E-mail Dr. Clinton at [email protected] to request a copy.

8. Diane L. Coutu, “Putting Leaders on the Couch: A Conversation with Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries,” Harvard Business Review (January 2004): 65–71.

9. WorldofQuotes.com, http://www.worldofquotes.com/author/EdmundBurke/1.

AACCKKNNOOWWLLEEDDGGMMEENNTTSS

First, I want to acknowledge the contributions of my coauthorsCarolyn Dewing-Hommes and Jason Pankau. Over the course ofseveral years of ongoing research and writing, the three of us metmost weeks to discuss our work. Their contributions were invalu-able. So much so, in fact, that after a certain point I asked them tobe coauthors. Other invaluable contributions came from KatieStallard. Her thoughts about how to better communicate our ideasare reflected throughout this book.

While I was researching and writing this book, my wife,Katie, was treated for two different types of cancer. Throughoutthose periods, our family, friends, and health-care professionalsprovided tremendous support and encouragement. As I write inthe Introduction, their connecting with us helped us make itthrough a challenging season. No words can express our grati-tude for their love and support.

Many thanks also go to Don Pape and Alive Communicationswho brought our book proposal to Nelson Business. I am gratefulto Brian Hampton at Nelson Business for believing in our bookand assigning it to a talented editor, Bryan Norman. Bryan hasbecome a trusted advisor and friend. His insights, suggestions,enthusiasm, and encouragement helped me persevere through thehard work and long hours to make a book on a complex subjectmore understandable and accessible to readers. Paula Major andDimples Kellogg also made significant improvements to the bookthroughout the copyediting stage, and I thank them for theircontributions.

A book of this sort is to some degree a community project.Carolyn, Jason, and I owe our thanks to those who shared their

218

experiences and insights with us or otherwise encouraged and sup-ported us on our journey to write this book. They include SusanBaisley, Mike Barriere, Hillary Bercovici, Rick Bibb, James Bliss,Bob Boiarsky, Camille Broderick, Barbara Casey, DeannaCastellini, Dorothea Cernera, Steve Cohen, Chris Combe, EricCooper, Ian Cron, Robbie de Villiers, Mitchell Dickey, Rich Ditizio,Matthew Ericksen, Mike Flatley, John Frelinghuysen, GregoryFurman, Tom Gavin, John Gration, Jerry Gerber, Beth Goldstein,Dr. Edward Hallowell, Lucy Hedrick, Frances Hesselbein, CarlHigbie, Vicki Ho, Linda Houston, Elmer and Esther Huh, MarkHutchinson, Richard and Sandy Humphrey, Michelle Ian, J.Pendleton James, Cliff Johnson, Rasheed Kahn, Richard and LeslieKaskel, Jennifer Kish, Steve Kerr, Walter Klores, Michael Kostoff, EdLengel, Chip Low, Mark Linsz, Rick Lyons, Tim Mackenzie, ReginaFazio Maruca, Rob Mathes and family, Dennis McDonnell, SarahMeehan, Bruce McNichol, Jack Mitchell, William Molinari, AndreaMueller, Richard and Wendy Murphy, David Myers, MichelleNewton, Joey Pierce, Joe Pine, Russell Reynolds, Jr., Wes Roberts,Kurt Reisenberg, Alex Rohman, Adam Rosenberg, Ken Runkel,Cecylia Rutkowska, Larry Sands, Matthew Sawyer, Marco Selva,Paul D. Speer Jr., Joseph Stallard, John Straus, Mark Taylor, RichardTanaka and family, Khiem Ting, Elizabeth Toohey, Neely Towe,Dan Waters, Tom Wells, Stephanie Whittier, Sean Witty, KeithVanderveen, and the staff of Greenwich Library.

I personally would like to thank my wife, Katie, and our daugh-ters, Sarah and Elizabeth. I would also like to thank ClaytonDahlman, Dr. Holly Dahlman, Bunny and John Harrison, Russ andDorothy Hufstedler, Henry and Barbara Price, Robert Stallard, andTimothy Stallard.

Carolyn would like to thank her husband, Mark, for hisnever-ending support and his honest feedback over the years.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

219

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

220

Also, she would like to thank her three children, Jessica, Daniel,and Catherine, for their patience and opinions all along the way.

Jason personally would like to thank his wife, Jennifer, andtheir children, Jarod, Jaden, Julianne, and Josephine. He wouldalso like to thank Stanwich Congregational Church.

221

AABBOOUUTT TTHHEE AAUUTTHHOORRSS

Michael Lee Stallard is the founder of E Pluribus Partners.Previously, he was managing director and chief marketing officerfor the US Trust Company, and principal, chief marketing officerat the global private wealth management business of MorganStanley. The team he assembled and led at Morgan Stanley con-tributed to doubling the business unit’s revenues over a two-yearperiod. Earlier in his career, Michael gained broad business expe-rience in marketing, finance, and business development-relatedpositions at Texas Instruments, Van Kampen Merritt, andBarclays Bank, PLC.

Recognized as a thought leader in marketing and engagingpeople on the front lines of a business, Michael has spoken at var-ious organizations, including conferences organized by Fortunemagazine, the World Presidents’ Organization, the AmericanBankers Association, the Corporate Executive Board’s VIPForum, and the Investment Company Institute. Along with hiscolleagues Carolyn Dewing-Hommes and Jason Pankau, he was acontributor to What Managers Say, What Employees Hear:Connecting with Your Front Line (So They’ll Connect withCustomers), edited by Regina Maruca, a former senior editor ofHarvard Business Review.

Michael received a BS degree in marketing from Illinois StateUniversity, an MBA from the University of Texas (Permian Basin),and a JD from DePaul University Law School. He was admitted tothe Illinois bar in 1991.

Carolyn Dewing-Hommes, cofounder and partner at EPluribus Partners, spent fifteen years at Citibank working in NewYork City, Sao Paulo, London, and Hong Kong. She was selected tolead a global team, reporting to Citibank’s CEO, which identified

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

222

the best practices of companies worldwide that successfully engagedtheir employees, specifically in the area of work/life balance. Shereceived a BA in political science and languages from GeorgetownUniversity and a master’s degree in economics and internationalaffairs from Columbia University.

Jason Pankau, a cofounder and partner at E Pluribus Partners,is president of Lifespring Network, served as an associate pastor atStanwich Congregational Church in Greenwich, Connecticut,where he focused on mentoring and leadership development. Hewas involved in starting two churches in Providence and Boston.He serves as a consultant and life coach to many corporate execu-tives and pastors. He is sought as a speaker by organizations for hiswisdom in teaching leadership and mentoring leaders. Jasonearned a BS from Brown University in business economics andorganizational behavior/management. Jason earned a Master ofDivinity from Southern Theological Seminary. He is presentlycompleting a doctorate degree in Christian leadership at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

EE PPLLUURRIIBBUUSS PPAARRTTNNEERRSS

E Pluribus Partners is a Greenwich, Connecticut-based think tankfocused on helping bring about greater connection among man-agement, employees, and customers. The organization’s name wasderived from the motto of America, E Pluribus Unum, created byJohn Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. It meansin Latin, “out of many, one.” More information about E PluribusPartners can be found at www.epluribuspartners.com.

Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem, 27-28Adams, John, 126, 148Alexander, Hamilton, 158Ambrose, Stephen, Rhino tank and, 94American Paradox, xviiApple Computer Company, 17, 47Arabia, cost of isolationism, 95-96Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics and, 12Ascent of a Leader, The, 199Aspen Institute, 2004 corporate behavior

study, 119-20Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin,

The, 123

balance, work/life. See workplaceconnection, balance work/life

Belichick, Bill (New England Patriots),185-88

human value, 187identity inspiring, 186knowledge flow, 187

Bennis, Warren, 44Organizing Genius, 44

Biederman, Patricia Ward, 44Organizing Genius, 44

Blair, Jayson, plagiarism, 32-34Bradley, General Omar, 93-94, 97

Rhino tank and, 94, 97Soldier’s Story, A, 93-94

Brady, Tom (New England Patriots),185-88

human value, 186-87identity inspiring, 187knowledge flow, 187

Brooks, David, xix, 51-52On Paradise Drive, 51“Paradise Spell,” 52

Buffett, Warren (Berkshire Hathaway),169-71

human value, 170, 171identity inspiring, 171knowledge flow, 171

Burke, Edmund, 201Burns, James MacGregor, on Frederick

the Great, 156

Caesar, Julius, 84Catholic Church,

devil’s advocate, 90knowledge flow, 89-90

Challenger Launch Decision, The, 90Challenger, the

knowledge-flow failure, 90O-Rings, 90

characterdevelopment in young, 119importance in business See also connector categories,intentional connector

Character Connection Thrive Chain,The, 21diagram, 119

Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook andClassification, 123

Charles Schwab Company, Schweb and,107

Chesterton, G. K. (personal conflict), 117China, cost of early isolationism, 95Churchill, Winston

knowledge flow, 89-90, 97Civil Rights Act of 1964, 56Clicks and Mortar, 56Columbia, The,

knowledge-flow failure, 91Commager, Henry Steele (on George

Washington), 157connection, workplace. See workplace

connection

223

IINNDDEEXX

connection formula, 21-23connector, intentional. See connector

categoriesconnector categories

intentional connector, 114-15,118-30, 201-2

intentional disconnector, 109, 113, 115unintentional disconnector, 109,

113-14, 115conscience, 122

24 character strengths, 122, 129Corporate Executive Board (connection)

study, 4, 195Corporate Leadership Council, xxicorporation, definition, 39Crash (movie), 117Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly, 77-78

“flow” studies, 78Cullen, Sergeant Curtis G., 93, 97

Rhino tank, 93, 97

Daly, Daniel, US Marines Medal ofHonor, 54-55

de Rochambeau, Count, and Marquis de Lafayette, 133

decentralization. See decision-making,decentralized

decision-making, 58decentralized, 79-80democratic, 105-6hierarchy, 105-6 See also workplace connection,knowledge flow

DeLong, Thomas, employee categories, 37Demosthenes, 87Diedner, Ed, “positive psychology,” 122Dilbert, 13disconnection, employee and.

See workplace disconnectiondisconnector, intentional. See

connector categoriesdisconnector, unintentional.

See connector categories

disengagement, employee. Seeworkplace disconnection

disinterest, employee. See workplacedisconnection

diversity, advice, 102-3, 107Drucker, Peter, 70

on Frances Hesselbein, 176-77“informed dissent,” 101-102

Dun and Bradstreet, 19Dunlap, “Chainsaw” Al (Sunbeam

Corporation), 112, 198Dychtwald, Ken, et al., 5-6

“It’s Time to Retire Retirement,” 5

E Pluribus Partners, xixmulti-year study, xiii

economic success in America, 64Edison, Thomas, on failure, 103Einstein, Albert, atomic bomb,

44-46Eisenhower, Dwight D., 84-85Elizabeth I, 151-54

Cecil, Sir William, 124human value, 153inspiring identity, 151-54knowledge flow, 154

employee, firing, 72employee, fitness, 57employee, types. See connector

categoriesEmployment Policy Foundation, on

shortage of labor, 5Epstein, Dr. Fred (pediatric

neurosurgeon), 179-82human value, 180-82identity inspiring, 180, 182If I Get to Five, 179Institute for Neurology and Neurosurgery, 180knowledge flow, 182

failure, employee, 57-58Fermi, Enrico, and atomic bomb, 44-46

INDEX

224

Feynman, Richardatomic bomb, 44-46, 50character, 118

firing, employee, 72fitness, employee, 57Frankl, Dr. Victor, 49-50

Man’s Search for Meaning, 49Franklin, Benjamin

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin,123

character development and, 123knowledge flow and, 88-89

Frappuccino, as employee invention,94-95

Frederick the Great, 154-56, 196human value, 155, 156inspiring identity, 155, 156isolation, 125knowledge flow, 155, 156

Freud, Sigmund (personal conflict), 117fun, for employee, 57

Gallup Organization, xiv-xvQ-12 study, 3-4workplace disconnection studies, 3-4,

7, 195Gardner, Hugh, multiple intelligence

theory, 189Gault, Stan (Rubbermaid Corporation), 70George III (poor management), 61-62Goldsmith, Sir James (corporate raider), 70Goodwin, Doris Kearns (on Roosevelt), 89Goodyear Rubber and Tire Company, 70Grove, Andrew (Intel Corporation), 71,

85-86, 97, 102constructive confrontation, 86-87Only the Paranoid Survive, 86-87Swimming Across, 86

Groves, Brigadier General Leslie, atomic bomb, 44-46

Hallowell, Edward (on CEOs), 9Henry V, 48

speech at Battle of Agincourt, 47-50

Henry, Patrick, Liberty or Death (speech), 56

Hesselbein, Frances (Girl Scouts USA),176-77, 198

human value, 177, 178identity inspiring, 176-77, 178knowledge flow, 177, 178

Hug Your Customers: The Proven Way to Personalize Sales and AchieveAstounding Results, 148

human value. See workplace connection,human value

Hume, David, knowledge flow, 88

idea-sharing. See workplace connection,knowledge flow

If I Get to Five: What Children Can Teach Us About Courage and

Character, 179inspiration, employee. See motivation,

employeeintegrity. See workplace connection,

fosteringIntranet (employee), 76, 100-101, 107It’s Time to Retire Retirement, 5-6

Jackson, Phil (Chicago Bulls), 138-41career record, 141human value, 139inspiring identity, 139-40knowledge flow, 139and Michael Jordan, 138-41Phoenix Suns 1993 match, 140Sacred Hoops, 139

Jager, Durk (Proctor & Gamble), 82Jefferson, Thomas, 32, 158

knowledge flow, 88jetBlue (airline), 18-19, 75Jobs, Steven (as motivator), 17, 56, 118Jordan, Michael. See Jackson, PhilKatzenbach Partners, categorizing

employees, 37Kerr, Steve (Chicago Bulls), 140

INDEX

225

Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R. (Global Leadership Centre), on CEOs, 199

Kim, Jeffrey (Nestle Waters North America), 191-94human value, 193, 194identity inspiring, 192, 194knowledge flow, 194

King, Martin Luther, Jr., 56, 196“I Have a Dream” (speech), 56, 196“Letter from Birmingham Jail”

(speech), 56Kipling, Rudyard, 140

Second Jungle Book, The, 140knowledge flow, chart, 100

laborbaby boom, 7-8cultures, xv-xvi, 5shortage effects, 5, 7-8

Lafayette, Marquis de, 132-35American Revolutionary War, 132-34human value, 134identity inspiring, 134John Hancock’s view, 133knowledge flow, 134

Lafley, AG (Proctor and Gamble), 20, 70,82-83

character, 119Lane, Robert, xviii

Loss of Happiness in Market Democracies, The, xviii

leadership (business). See workplaceconnection, leadership quality

Lee, General Robert E., 159-61Confederate surrender, 159-60human value, 160

Lengel, Richard C. (on George Washington), 157

Lincoln, Abrahamcharacter development, 124Confederate surrender, 160

Lincoln’s Virtues, 124

Loren, Allan (Dun & Bradstreet), 19Loss of Happiness in Market

Democracies, The, xviiiLucent Corporation, loss to Nortel, 90Lusitania, intelligence failure, 91

Machiavelli, Nicolo (on dissention), 103Man’s Search for Meaning, 49management. See workplace connection,

leadership qualityManhattan Project, 44-46, 118Marshall, George C., 142-46

and General Pershing, 144human value, 143inspiring identity, 146knowledge flow, 143-45Marshall Plan, The, 144military brilliance, 141-43Nobel Peace Prize, 1953, 144Saving Private Ryan (movie), 144US presidents, 144-45and Winston Churchill, 142

Marshall Plan. See Marshall, George C.Maslow, Abraham, 11-12

deficit need theory, 12McCullough, David, 195-96

on Harriet Beecher Stowe, 162on John Adams, 126

McKinsey & Company, knowledge flow, 101

meaning (USS Montpelier chart), 57-59meaningfulness, employment.

See workplace connection, fosteringMemorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center,

xvi, 17, 47Miller, William Lee, 124

Lincoln’s Virtues, 124mistakes, employee, 57-58Mitchell, Bob (Mitchells, Richards,

Marshs), 149Mitchell, Ed (Mitchells, Richards,

Marshs), 148

INDEX

226

Mitchell, Jack (Mitchells, Richards,Marshs), 19, 148Hug Your Customers, 148

Mitchell, Russ (Mitchells, Richards,Marshs), 149

Mitchells, Richards, Marshs, 19, 147-50inspiring identity, 148human value, 148-49knowledge flow, 149-50

Montezuma, poor knowledge flow, 90motivation, employee, xiii, 48-49

left-brain management, xximicromanagement, 13, 67-70right-brain management, xxi See also workplace connection,

fosteringMulcahy, Anne (Xerox Corporation),

135-38human value, 136inspiring identity, 138knowledge flow, 136-37

Myers, David, xviiiAmerican Paradox, xviii

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, xxi

Napoleon, micromanagement, 67-68, 69, 80Neeleman, David (jetBlue Airlines), 8, 75

character, 118Neustadt, Richard (on George

Washington), 157Nicholas, Nick (on Anne Mulcahy), 137-38Nicomachean Ethics, 129/11, intelligence failure, 91

O’Neill, Paul (New York Yankees), 66-67Office Space (movie), 13Office, The (show), 13On Paradise Drive, 51Oppenhemer, J. Robert, atomic bomb, 44-46Organizing Genius, 44orientation, employees. See workplace

connection, orientation

Paine, Thomas, 56Common Sense (pamphlet), 56

Paxson, John (Chicago Bulls), 140Pearl Harbor, intelligence failure, 91Pixar University, xiiiPottruck, David (Charles Schwab), 56

Clicks and Mortar, 56Pour Your Heart Into It, 56, 165power (business), abuse, 19, 33Proctor & Gamble, 20-21promotion, employee. See rewards,

employeePublic Agenda 1999 survey, 119public speaking (to employees), 56Pullman Palace Car Company, 68-69Pullman, George, micromanagement,

68-69, 80Purpose Driven Life, The, 183-84purpose, employee sense. See workplace

connection, identity

Radicalism of the American Revolution,The, 63-64

Raines, Howell (New York Times),31, 198comparison with John Wooden,

34-35, 123and Grady Hutchinson, 33management style of, 32

reading, and character development,126-27

Regan, Donald (Merrill Lynch), 106Reinemund, Steve (PepsiCo

Corporation), 125Relational-Cultural Theory, 10respect. See self-esteemrewards, employee commensurate,

39-40, 123core (employees), 37-38promotion, 127-28star (employees), 37-38, 138-39 See also motivation, employee

INDEX

227

Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, 127, 172-74“Daily Lineup,” 174employee assessment, 127employee selection, 172-73human value, 174-75identity inspiring, 175-76knowledge flow, 175

Robespierre, Maximilien, 84Roddick, Dame Anita (The Body Shop),

166-68human value, 168identity inspiring, 167-69knowledge flow, 169

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano,17-18, 142, 158atomic bomb and, 44-45character flaws, 116knowledge flow, 89, 97work breaks, 80

Rubbermaid Corporation, 70

Sacred Hoops, 139Santulli, Rich (NetJets), on Warren

Buffett, 171Schachter, Ed (Richards Clothing), 149Schama, Simon (on Henry V), 47Schlesinger, Arthur M. , Jr. (on

Lafayette), 133Schultz, Howard (Starbucks), 56, 164-66

character, 119human value, 165, 166identity inspiring, 166knowledge flow, 165, 166Pour Your Heart Into It (book), 56, 165

Schwab, Charles, 17 Second Jungle Book, The, 140Secondat, Baron Charles-Louis de

governance of nations, 124Spirit of the Laws, The, 124

self-esteem, 11-14, 40See also Maslow, Abraham

Seligman, Martin, 122-23

Character Strengths and Virtues, 123severance pay, 53Sewell Automotive, 19Sewell, Carl (Sewell Automotive), 19Six Sigma, task excellence, 36sleep, employee, 57Sloan, Alfred P. (General Motors

Corporation), 79Social Network Analysis, 128, 129Soldier’s Story, A, 93-94Solomon (knowledge flow), 88Stanton, Mike (New York Yankees), 67Stengel, Jim (P&G), 82Stephenson, Karen (on networking), 128Stephenson, Sue (Ritz-Carlton Hotel),

173-74Stimson, Senator Henry (on George C.

Marshall), 142Stowe, Harriett Beecher, 118, 126, 162-63

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, 162inspiring identity, 163

surveys, employee satisfaction, 19, 127

Tait, Richard, 188-91and Alexander Whit, 188Cranium (game), 188-91human value, 190identity inspiring, 191knowledge flow, 190Starbucks, 188

team work, workplace. See workplaceconnection

“Theory of Human Motivation, A,”11-12

Thrall, Bill, et al., 199Ascent of a Leader, The, 199

Torre, Joe (New York Yankees), 66-67, 80Truman, Harry S (on George C.

Marshall), 142Twain, Mark, 91

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, 162

INDEX

228

Unger, Harlow Giles (on Lafayette),134-35

United States Bureau of Labor Statistics,labor shortage, 5

United States Marine Corps, 39, 47, 54McKinsey & Company/Conference Board study, 39, 54motivation, 54-55

USS Montpelier Command Philosophy,56-60

valuebusiness, 18-19human. See workplace connection,

human valueVaughan, Diane, 90

Challenger Launch Decision, 90Vijayaraghavan, Vineeta, employee

categories, 37vision (business), 17voice (business), 20-21Voltaire (on Frederick the Great), 156

Walker, Clarence (Indiana Statebasketball), 25-26

Walton, Bill, 27, 28, 29on John Wooden, 196-97

Warren, Pastor Rick, 182-85human value, 184identity inspiring, 184knowledge flow, 184Purpose Driven Life, The, 183-84

Washington, George, 132, 157-59, 198 human value, 157-59inspiring identity, 158, 159knowledge flow, 88, 97, 158, 159Rules of Civility, 123, 157

Welch, Jack (General Electric), 71-72Whit, Alexander, 188-91

Cranium (game), 188-91human value, 190identity inspiring, 191

knowledge flow, 190and Richard Tait, 188Starbucks and, 188

Wicks, Sidney (UCLA basketball), 29Wood, Gordon, 63

Radicalism of the American Revolution, 63-64

Wooden, John Robert (UCLA Bruins),24-30, 34-35, 53, 186, 196, 198achievements, 26comparison with Howell Raines, 34-35management style of, 29, 53praise for, 26-30Pyramid of Success and, 27success, definition of, 53UCLA and, 34

workplace connectionadvantages, xviii-xxiiibalance, work/life, 57, 78-79challenges and, 52-53culture of, 16-35, 103-104decision-making, 78-79definition, 2-3failure-handling, 104fostering, 16-35, 40-41, 44-61human value, 53, 58, 62-74, 75-81identity, 44-50, 53, 55-61importance, 2-14, 195information sessions, 99-107innovation, 50-52, 104job fit, 77-78, 127knowledge flow, 82-98, 99-107, 128leadership quality and, 24-34, 56-61,

66-74, 78-79, 101-103, 109neuroscience, 9-15, 121-22orientation, 54psycho-social science, 15reviewing, 7-8social network importance, 128 teamwork, 53, 57 See also connector categories and

workplace disconnection

INDEX

229

workplace disconnectionanxiety, 78blind spots, 123-25criticism, 66-67culture of silence, 90effects, 4-5, 9-10, 31-35, 40-41, 111-12false pre-conceptions, 90, 97inequality, 70information hoarding, 84rudeness, 65-66, 104self-righteousness, 129-30shaming, 53-54 See also workplace connection

written materials (for employees), 56, 61Zimmerman, Micha, 181

Kids Helping Kids Program, 181

INDEX

230

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